Compiled by Jess Dunks and Matt Tabak, with contributions from Laurie Cheers, Tom Fowler, Carsten Haese, Nathan Long, and Thijs van Ommen.

Document last modified April 12, 2021.

The Release Notes include information concerning the release of a new Magic: The Gathering set, as well as a collection of clarifications and rulings involving that set's cards. It's intended to make playing with the new cards more fun by clearing up the common misconceptions and confusion inevitably caused by new mechanics and interactions. As future sets are released, updates to the Magic rules may cause some of this information to become outdated. Go to Magic.Wizards.com/Rules to find the most up-to-date rules.

The "General Notes" section includes release information and explains the mechanics and concepts in the set.

The "Card-Specific Notes" sections contain answers to the most important, most common, and most confusing questions players might ask about cards in the set. Items in the "Card-Specific Notes" sections include full card text for your reference. Not all cards in the set are listed.

GENERAL NOTES

Release Information

The Strixhaven set becomes legal for sanctioned Constructed play on its official release date, Friday, April 23, 2021. At that time, the following card sets will be permitted in the Standard format: Throne of Eldraine, Theros Beyond Death, Ikoria: Lair of Behemoths, Core Set 2021, Zendikar Rising, Kaldheim, and Strixhaven: School of Mages.

Cards found in Strixhaven Draft Boosters and Theme Boosters will be included in the Standard format. These cards are numbered 1–275 and have printed set code STX.

There are 63 cards (with printed set code STA and collector numbers 1–63) in the Mystical Archive supplementary set. These cards are legal for play in any format that already allows those cards. For more information, see "Mystical Archive," below.

There are 81 new cards printed in the Strixhaven Commander Decks. These cards are legal for play in the Commander, Vintage, and Legacy formats. They aren't legal for play in the Standard, Pioneer, or Modern formats. These cards are numbered 1–81 and have printed set code C21. The other cards in these decks are legal for play in any format that already allows those cards; that is, appearing in these decks doesn't change a card's legality in any format. Those returning cards are numbered 82–327 and have printed set code C21.

Go to Magic.Wizards.com/Formats for a complete list of formats and their permitted card sets and banned lists.

Go to Magic.Wizards.com/Commander for more information on the Commander variant.

Go to Locator.Wizards.com to find an event or store near you.

Mystical Archive

The lecture halls and libraries of Strixhaven are filled with knowledge both new and ancient. The most sought-after knowledge lies in the Mystical Archive, a history of some of the most powerful magic from throughout the Multiverse. You too can become a student of Strixhaven's most precious knowledge with the Mystical Archive supplementary set.

There are 63 cards (with printed set code STA and collector numbers 1–63) in the Mystical Archive supplementary set. They will appear in Draft, Set, and Theme Boosters.
Strixhaven Mystical Archive cards appearing in Draft Booster packs are playable in any Limited event using those packs. In a Sealed Deck tournament, those cards are part of your card pool. In a Booster Draft tournament, you must draft those cards for them to be included in your card pool.

Mystical Archive cards are legal for play in any format in which they were already legal. That is, appearing in the Mystical Archive doesn't change what formats any card may be played in. Some, but not all, of the cards can also be found in sets that are currently legal in the Standard format. While nearly all Mystical Archive cards are reprints, one card (Abundant Harvest) is appearing for the first time. That card is legal for play in the Commander, Vintage, and Legacy formats.

New Ability Word: Magecraft

Not much point attending the most prestigious magical academy in existence if you're not going to be mastering sorcery. And instants, for that matter. Magecraft is a new ability word that highlights abilities that reward you for casting or copying instant and sorcery spells.

Archmage Emeritus
{2}{U}{U}
Creature — Human Wizard
2/2
Magecraft — Whenever you cast or copy an instant or sorcery spell, draw a card.

Each magecraft ability has a different effect, although they all have the same trigger condition, whenever you cast or copy an instant or sorcery spell.
For example, if you control Archmage Emeritus and cast an instant or sorcery spell, Archmage Emeritus's magecraft ability will trigger and you will draw a card.
If an effect creates a copy of an instant or sorcery spell, this will also cause the magecraft ability to trigger.
If an effect creates multiple copies of an instant or sorcery spell, magecraft abilities trigger once for each copy created by the effect.
Some effects instruct you to copy an instant or sorcery card in a zone other than the stack. These copies do not cause magecraft abilities to trigger. However, most effects that do this also allow you to cast the copy, and casting the copy will cause magecraft abilities to trigger.

New Keyword Ability: Ward

Just as important as your classes in casting deadly spells will be your classes in avoiding the very same spells when they are aimed at your creatures. To that end, Strixhaven introduces us to the ward mechanic. Ward is a keyword ability that protects your creatures by countering your opponents' spells and abilities that target them unless they pay a cost.

Waterfall Aerialist
{3}{U}
Creature — Djinn Wizard
3/1
Flying
Ward {2} (Whenever this creature becomes the target of a spell or ability an opponent controls, counter it unless that player pays {2}.)

The official rules for ward are as follows:

702.21. Ward

702.21a. Ward is a triggered ability. "Ward [cost]" means "Whenever this permanent becomes the target of a spell or ability an opponent controls, counter that spell or ability unless that player pays [cost]."

If a player casts a spell that targets multiple permanents their opponent controls with ward, each of those ward abilities will trigger. If that player doesn't pay for all of them, the spell will be countered.
Ward is an evergreen ability and will appear in future sets.

New Keyword Action: Learn

New Subtype: Lesson

We're learning a lot of lessons already! Learn is a keyword action that lets you either discard a card and draw a card or put a Lesson card from outside the game into your hand.

Study Break
{1}{W}
Instant
Tap up to two target creatures.
Learn. (You may reveal a Lesson card you own from outside the game and put it into your hand, or discard a card to draw a card.)

The official rules for learn are as follows:

701.45. Learn

701.45a. "Learn" means "You may discard a card. If you do, draw a card. If you didn't discard a card, you may reveal a Lesson card you own from outside the game and put it into your hand."

If a card is brought into the game from outside the game, it will stay in the game until it ends or until its owner leaves the game, whichever comes first.
If you bring a card into the game from outside the game in a Constructed tournament (or a Constructed game played under tournament conditions), you may select only a card from your sideboard. In casual Constructed games, the card comes from your collection.
If you bring a card into the game from outside the game in a Sealed Deck or Booster Draft event, you may select only a card that is in the card pool that you built your deck from.
The official Commander rules don't include sideboards, but if you're using them anyway or casually allowing players to get cards from their collections, cards you bring into the game from outside the game can't share a name with any card in your starting deck.
If instructed to learn, you may do nothing. Discarding a card and putting a Lesson card into your hand are both optional.
Lesson is a new spell subtype found on some instant and sorcery cards in this set. The Lesson subtype has no special rules associated with it.
Although you may want to include Lessons in your sideboard if you're playing with cards that instruct you learn, Lesson cards can be included in your main deck like other instant or sorcery cards.

New Keyword Ability: Demonstrate

It's time to put our hard-won knowledge to use and teach others at the same time. Demonstrate is a keyword ability found on five cards in the Strixhaven Commander products. Cards with demonstrate let you copy the spell when you cast it, but also let an opponent copy that spell.

Excavation Technique
{3}{W}
Sorcery
Demonstrate (When you cast this spell, you may copy it. If you do, choose an opponent to also copy it. Players may choose new targets for their copies.)
Destroy target nonland permanent. Its controller creates two Treasure tokens.

Here are the official rules for the demonstrate ability:

702.143. Demonstrate

702.143a. Demonstrate is a triggered ability. "Demonstrate" means "When you cast this spell, you may copy it and you may choose new targets for the copy. If you copy the spell, choose an opponent. That player copies the spell and may choose new targets for the copy."

You choose whether to make a copy as the demonstrate ability resolves. This happens before the original spell resolves. Your copy goes on the stack above the original spell.
If you copy a spell with demonstrate, you then immediately choose an opponent. If they copy the spell, it goes on top of the stack.
If the spell requires targets, you choose the target of the original spell as you cast it. If you create a copy of the spell, you may choose new targets for the copy as you create that copy. Similarly, the opponent you chose to create a copy may choose new targets for that copy as it's created. In other words, your opponent will know the targets of your original spell and your copy when choosing the new targets, if any, for their copy.
This means that if you cast a spell with demonstrate and both you and an opponent copy it, the opponent's copy will resolve first, then your copy will resolve, and finally the original spell will resolve.
If you cast the spell and choose not to copy it, no opponent will get to copy it either.

Cycle: "Mastery" Spells

Now that we've studied and learned and demonstrated our knowledge, we can achieve true Mastery! Specifically, the cycle of spells in the Strixhaven main set with "Mastery" in the name. These spells let you pay a cheaper alternative cost for a spell, but give an opponent an advantage if you do.

Baleful Mastery
{3}{B}
Instant
You may pay {1}{B} rather than pay this spell's mana cost.
If the {1}{B} cost was paid, an opponent draws a card.
Exile target creature or planeswalker.

The mana value (previously converted mana cost; see "Mana Value," below) of a spell on the stack is determined by its mana cost, not any alternative costs you used to pay for it. For example, Baleful Mastery's mana value is always 4.
If you choose to pay one alternative cost, you can't pay any other alternative costs. For example, if an effect lets you cast a "Mastery" spell "without paying its mana cost," you can't also choose to pay its given alternative cost.
If an effect increases or decreases the cost of spells you cast, that cost increase or decrease is applied to the alternative cost you chose to pay. In that case, the cost was still paid for the purposes of the effect, even if you paid more or less for it when it was cast.
If you copy a "Mastery" spell and the alternative cost was paid, the copy will resolve as though the cost was paid.
In a multiplayer game, you choose which opponent takes the prescribed action as the spell resolves.

Cycle: "Snarl" Dual Lands

Strixhaven completes the cycle of versatile dual lands introduced in Shadows over Innistrad. Each one can tap for one of two colors of mana and may enter the battlefield untapped, depending on what other land cards you have in your hand.

Frostboil Snarl
Land
As Frostboil Snarl enters the battlefield, you may reveal an Island or Mountain card from your hand. If you don't, Frostboil Snarl enters the battlefield tapped.
{T}: Add {U} or {R}.

You may reveal any land card with either or both of the appropriate subtypes. It doesn't have to be a basic land card. For example, you could reveal Volatile Fjord from the Kaldheim set to satisfy the ability of Frostboil Snarl.
The "Snarl" itself doesn't have any land subtypes. You can't reveal one to satisfy the ability of another.
If a land card with an appropriate subtype is entering the battlefield from your hand at the same time as one of these lands, you may reveal the other land to have the "Snarl" enter untapped.
If an effect instructs you to put one of these lands onto the battlefield tapped, it will still enter the battlefield tapped even if you reveal a land card from your hand.

New Term: Mana Value

Strixhaven introduces the new rules term mana value. On cards and rules, wherever you previously would have seen "converted mana cost," you'll now see "mana value." They have the same definition. We're retiring the older term in favor of a shorter and hopefully more approachable alternative.

Pillardrop Rescuer
{4}{W}
Creature — Spirit Cleric
2/2
Flying
When Pillardrop Rescuer enters the battlefield, return target creature card with mana value 3 or less from your graveyard to your hand.

Mana value is the amount of mana found in a card's mana cost, disregarding color. For example, a card with mana cost {5}{R}{R} has mana value 7.
If a card has {X} in its mana cost, X is considered to be 0 when determining the card's mana value, unless it is a spell on the stack. In that case, X has the value that was chosen for it as the spell was cast.

Returning Mechanic: Modal Double-Faced Cards

Modal double-faced cards were introduced in the Zendikar Rising set, returned in Kaldheim, and are back once again, with the requisite new surprises in store. Modal double-faced cards give you great flexibility, letting you play either face depending on the situation. Previous sets included modal double-faced cards which only had permanent faces. Some modal double-faced cards in Strixhaven have an instant or sorcery on their back face.

Blex, Vexing Pest
{2}{G}
Legendary Creature — Pest
3/2
Other Pests, Bats, Insects, Snakes, and Spiders you control get +1/+1.
When Blex, Vexing Pest dies, you gain 4 life.
/////
Search for Blex
{2}{B}{B}
Sorcery
Look at the top five cards of your library. You may put any number of them into your hand and the rest into your graveyard. You lose 3 life for each card you put into your hand this way.

Playing with Modal Double-Faced Cards

To determine whether it is legal to play a modal double-faced card, consider only the characteristics of the face you're playing and ignore the other face's characteristics. For example, if an effect stops you from casting creature spells, you can't cast Blex, Vexing Pest, but you can still cast Search for Blex.
If an effect allows you to play a specific modal double-faced card, you may cast it as a spell or play it as a land, as determined by which face you choose to play. If an effect allows you to cast (rather than "play") a specific modal double-faced card, you can't play it as a land.
If an effect allows you to play a land or cast a spell from among a group of cards, you may play or cast a modal double-faced card with any face that fits the criteria of that effect. For example, if an effect allows you to cast sorcery spells from your graveyard, you can cast Search for Blex but not Blex, Vexing Pest. (Fear not, Blex. Your time will come.)
If an effect allows you to put a card with particular characteristics onto the battlefield without instructing you to play or cast it, you consider only the characteristics of a modal double-faced card's front face to see if that card qualifies. If it does, it enters the battlefield with its front face up. For example, if an effect allows you to put a creature card from your graveyard onto the battlefield, you can put Blex, Vexing Pest onto the battlefield. (Rejoice, Blex.) However, an effect that lets you return a sorcery card from your graveyard to your hand won't let you return Search for Blex to your hand, as that card has only its front face's characteristics while in the graveyard.
The mana value of a modal double-faced card is based on the characteristics of the face that's being considered. On the stack or the battlefield, consider whichever face is up. In all other zones, consider only the front face. This is different than how the mana value of a transforming double-faced card is determined.
A modal double-faced card can't be transformed or be put onto the battlefield transformed. Ignore any instruction to transform a modal double-faced card or to put one onto the battlefield transformed.

General Information on Double-Faced Cards

Each face of a double-faced card has its own set of characteristics: name, types, subtypes, abilities, and so on. While a double-faced card is on the stack or battlefield, consider only the characteristics of the face that's currently up. The other set of characteristics is ignored.
While a double-faced card isn't on the stack or battlefield, consider only the characteristics of its front face. For example, the above card has only the characteristics of Blex, Vexing Pest in the graveyard, even if it was cast as Search for Blex before going to the graveyard.
If an effect puts a double-faced card onto the battlefield, and its front face can't be put onto the battlefield, it doesn't enter the battlefield. For example, if an effect exiles a modal double-faced card whose front face is an instant and returns it to the battlefield, it remains in exile because an instant can't be put onto the battlefield. (Strixhaven doesn't have any modal double-faced cards whose front faces are instants or sorceries.)
If an effect instructs a player to choose a card name, the name of either face may be chosen. If that effect or a linked ability refers to a spell with the chosen name being cast and/or a land with the chosen name being played, it considers only the chosen name, not the other face's name.
In the Commander variant, a double-faced card's color identity is determined by the mana costs and mana symbols in the rules text of both faces combined. If either face has a color indicator or basic land type, those are also considered.
One or both faces of a double-faced card may include a reminder about what's on the other face. This reminder text has no effect on gameplay.
Each double-faced card has an icon in the top-left corner of each face. For modal double-faced cards in this set, these icons are a single black triangle for the front face, and a double white triangle for the back face.

Using Substitute Cards

It's important that the cards in your deck be indistinguishable from one another. To help you accomplish this with double-faced cards, you can use the substitute cards found in some Strixhaven booster packs. A substitute card can stand in for a double-faced card in hidden zones or wherever its identity is concealed (such as in exile if it's exiled face down). Using substitute cards is optional, but in tournaments, players with double-faced cards must use either substitute cards or opaque card sleeves (or both).
You must have the actual double-faced card that each substitute card is representing with you. The double-faced card should be kept apart from the rest of the deck and your sideboard.
A substitute card can be included in a deck only when it's being used to represent a double-faced card.
You must write clearly on the substitute card to show which double-faced card it represents. The name of at least one face must be written on the substitute card, and any other information visible on either face of the card may also be written. Information that isn't available on the card may not be written on a substitute card.
During the game, a substitute card is considered to be the double-faced card it represents.
If a substitute card enters a public zone (the battlefield, the graveyard, the stack, or exile unless it's exiled face down), use the actual double-faced card and set the substitute card aside. If the double-faced card is put into a hidden zone (your hand or library), use the substitute card again.
If a double-faced card is exiled face down or put onto the battlefield face down, keep its identity hidden by using the face-down substitute card or opaque card sleeves (or both).
In some older sets, the substitute cards were checklists that listed double-faced cards or meld cards from those sets. A Strixhaven substitute card can be used to represent those double-faced cards. The same rules about what information may be written on substitute cards apply.

STRIXHAVEN MAIN SET CARD-SPECIFIC NOTES

Academic Dispute
{R}
Instant
Target creature blocks this turn if able. You may have it gain reach until end of turn.
Learn. (You may reveal a Lesson card you own from outside the game and put it into your hand, or discard a card to draw a card.)

The creature blocks only if it's able to do so as the declare blockers step begins. If, at that time, the creature is tapped, it's affected by a spell or ability that says it can't block, or no creatures are attacking its controller or a planeswalker controlled by that player, then it doesn't block. If there's a cost associated with having the creature block, the player isn't forced to pay that cost. If that cost isn't paid, the creature won't block.
The controller of the creature chooses which attacking creature that creature blocks.
You choose whether you want the creature to gain reach until end of turn as Academic Dispute resolves.

Academic Probation
{1}{W}
Sorcery — Lesson
Choose one —
• Choose a nonland card name. Opponents can't cast spells with the chosen name until your next turn.
• Choose target nonland permanent. Until your next turn, it can't attack or block, and its activated abilities can't be activated.

For the first mode, no one can cast spells between the time a card is named and the time that Academic Probation's effect starts to apply.
Academic Probation is a sorcery, but in some unusual cases it may be cast in response to other spells. Spells with the chosen name that somehow happen to already be on the stack when Academic Probation resolves will not be affected.
Although spells with the chosen name can't be cast, a card with that name can still be put onto the battlefield by another effect (if it's a permanent card).
You can name either face of a modal double-faced card, but not both, and you can name either half of a split card, but not both. Opponents may still cast the face or half you didn't name.
If you target a noncreature permanent with the second mode and it later becomes a creature, that creature still won't be able to attack or block until your next turn.
Activated abilities contain a colon. They're generally written "[Cost]: [Effect]." Some keyword abilities (such as equip) are activated abilities and will have a colon in their reminder text. Triggered abilities (starting with "when," "whenever," or "at") are unaffected.

Access Tunnel
Land
{T}: Add {C}.
{3}, {T}: Target creature with power 3 or less can't be blocked this turn.

Once a creature with power 3 or less has been blocked, Access Tunnel's second ability won't cause it to become unblocked.
If the target creature's power is greater than 3 as Access Tunnel's second ability tries to resolve, the ability doesn't resolve. However, if instead the creature's power is raised above 3 after the ability resolves, it still can't be blocked that turn.

Accomplished Alchemist
{3}{G}
Creature — Elf Druid
2/5
{T}: Add one mana of any color.
{T}: Add X mana of any one color, where X is the amount of life you gained this turn.

Accomplished Alchemist's second ability counts the total amount of life gained without taking into account any life you lost during that turn. For example, if you lost 3 life and gained 3 life earlier in the turn, you'll add three mana.

Aether Helix
{3}{G}{U}
Sorcery
Return target permanent to its owner's hand. Return target permanent card from your graveyard to your hand.

You must choose two legal targets in order to cast Aether Helix. If there are either no permanent cards in your graveyard or no permanents on the battlefield, you cannot begin to cast it.
If only one target is still legal as Aether Helix tries to resolve, it will still resolve and perform the appropriate action on the remaining target.

Ardent Dustspeaker
{4}{R}
Creature — Minotaur Shaman
3/4
Whenever Ardent Dustspeaker attacks, you may put an instant or sorcery card from your graveyard on the bottom of your library. If you do, exile the top two cards of your library. You may play those cards this turn.

The cards exiled by Ardent Dustspeaker's ability are exiled face up.
You may play those cards that turn even if Ardent Dustspeaker leaves the battlefield or another player gains control of it.
Playing the cards exiled with Ardent Dustspeaker follows the normal rules for playing those cards. You must pay their costs, if any, and you must follow all applicable timing rules. For example, if one of the cards is a creature card, you can cast that card by paying its mana cost only during your main phase while the stack is empty.
Unless an effect allows you to play additional lands that turn, you can play land cards exiled with Ardent Dustspeaker only if you haven't played a land yet that turn. In most cases, if you exile two land cards, you won't be able to play both.
Any cards exiled with Ardent Dustspeaker that you don't play remain exiled. You will not be able to play them on later turns, even if Ardent Dustspeaker's ability triggers again.

Arrogant Poet
{1}{B}
Creature — Human Warlock
2/1
Whenever Arrogant Poet attacks, you may pay 2 life. If you do, it gains flying until end of turn.

You choose whether or not to pay 2 life as the ability resolves. Once you make that choice, no one can respond before Arrogant Poet gains flying.

Augmenter Pugilist
{1}{G}{G}
Creature — Troll Druid
3/3
Trample
As long as you control eight or more lands, Augmenter Pugilist gets +5/+5.
/////
Echoing Equation
{3}{U}{U}
Sorcery
Choose target creature you control. Each other creature you control becomes a copy of it until end of turn, except those creatures aren't legendary if the chosen creature is legendary.

Because damage remains marked on creatures until the damage is removed as the turn ends, nonlethal damage dealt to Augmenter Pugilist may become lethal if the number of lands you control falls below eight.
Echoing Equation copies the printed values of the target creature. It won't copy any counters on that creature or any effects that have changed its power, toughness, types, color, and so on, and a creature becoming a copy doesn't remove any such counters or effects that are already applying to it. Notably, Echoing Equation won't copy any type-changing effects that are currently making the target a creature. For example, if you choose a land that's become a creature, all your other creatures will become noncreature lands until end of turn.
If the chosen creature is copying something else, other creatures you control become copies of whatever the chosen creature is copying.
If the target creature is a token, other creatures you control will copy the original characteristics of that token as stated by the effect that created the token. Any of those creatures that aren't tokens won't become tokens in this case. Similarly, if the target creature is a nontoken creature, creature tokens you control won't stop being tokens.
Echoing Equation affects only creatures you control at the time it resolves. Creatures that come under your control later in the turn won't be copies of the chosen creature.

Bayou Groff
{1}{G}
Creature — Plant Dog
5/4
As an additional cost to cast this spell, sacrifice a creature or pay {3}.

You must sacrifice exactly one creature or pay an extra {3} to cast this spell; you can't cast it without paying one of those costs, and you can't pay either multiple times.
Players can respond to Bayou Groff only after it's been cast and all its costs have been paid. No one can try to destroy the creature you sacrificed to stop you from casting this spell or to make it cost more mana.

Blade Historian
{r/w}{r/w}{r/w}{r/w}
Creature — Human Cleric
2/3
Attacking creatures you control have double strike.

If Blade Historian leaves the battlefield after first-strike combat damage has been dealt but before regular combat damage (perhaps because it attacked and was destroyed by first-strike combat damage), attacking creatures you control will lose double strike. A creature without double strike won't deal regular combat damage if it already dealt first-strike damage that turn.

If a creature is more than one of the creature types Blex cares about, it may haunt your dreams, but it will get the +1/+1 bonus only once.
While resolving Search for Blex, you may put any number of the cards into your hand, even if you don't have enough life to cover it. We'll assume you have a plan that's better than "and then I'll lose the game."

Blood Age General
{1}{R}
Creature — Spirit Warrior
2/2
{T}: Attacking Spirits get +1/+0 until end of turn.

Blood Age General's activated ability affects only Spirits that are attacking as it resolves. If you activate it while no Spirits are attacking, it will have no effect, even if you attack with one or more Spirits later in the turn.
Once the activated ability resolves, Spirits that get the +1/+0 bonus will retain it until end of turn, even after they stop attacking or if they stop being Spirits.

Blood Researcher
{1}{B}{G}
Creature — Vampire Druid
2/2
Menace (This creature can't be blocked except by two or more creatures.)
Whenever you gain life, put a +1/+1 counter on Blood Researcher.

If you gain life at the same time Blood Researcher is dealt lethal damage, it dies before its ability can put a +1/+1 counter on it.
An ability that triggers "whenever you gain life" triggers just once for each life gain event, no matter how much life you gain.
Each creature with lifelink dealing combat damage causes a separate life gain event. For example, if two creatures you control with lifelink deal combat damage at the same time, a "whenever you gain life" ability will trigger twice. However, if a single creature you control with lifelink deals combat damage to multiple creatures, players, and/or planeswalkers at the same time (perhaps because it has trample or was blocked by more than one creature), the ability will trigger only once.
If you gain an amount of life "for each" of something, that life is gained as one event and the ability will trigger only once.

Bookwurm
{7}{G}
Creature — Wurm
7/7
Trample
When Bookwurm enters the battlefield, you gain 3 life and draw a card.
{2}{G}: Put Bookwurm from your graveyard into your library third from the top.

If Bookwurm is removed from your graveyard in response to its last ability, it won't be put into your library.
If you have zero or one card left in your library when Bookwurm's last ability resolves, it is put on the bottom of your library.

Bury in Books
{4}{U}
Instant
This spell costs {2} less to cast if it targets an attacking creature.
Put target creature into its owner's library second from the top.

If the target creature's controller has zero cards left in their library when Bury in Books resolves, that creature becomes the top card of their library.

Charge Through
{G}
Instant
Target creature gains trample until end of turn.
Draw a card.

If the target becomes illegal before Charge Through resolves (perhaps because an opponent destroyed it), you won't draw a card.

Codie, Vociferous Codex
{3}
Legendary Artifact Creature — Construct
1/4
You can't cast permanent spells.
{4}, {T}: Add {W}{U}{B}{R}{G}. When you cast your next spell this turn, exile cards from the top of your library until you exile an instant or sorcery card with lesser mana value. Until end of turn, you may cast that card without paying its mana cost. Put each other card exiled this way on the bottom of your library in a random order.

A permanent spell is an artifact, creature, enchantment, or planeswalker spell. You may still play lands and cast instant and sorcery spells. Other effects can still put permanents onto the battlefield.
While you control Codie (as much as anyone can really "control" Codie), you may cast any face of a modal double-faced card that's an instant or sorcery face, even if the other face is a permanent face.
Codie's activated ability is a mana ability. It can't be countered or responded to, and you can activate it while casting a spell. If you do, that spell is "the next spell" you cast this turn.
The delayed triggered ability created by Codie's second ability will resolve before the spell that caused it to trigger. That ability will resolve even if the spell is countered or otherwise doesn't resolve.
You exile the cards face up. All players will be able to see them.
The last card exiled is not cast immediately. You may cast it until the end of the current turn. If you do not cast it, that card will remain in exile.
If you cast a spell "without paying its mana cost," you can't choose to cast it for any alternative costs. You can, however, pay additional costs. If the card has any mandatory additional costs, you must pay those to cast the spell.
If the card has {X} in its mana cost, you must choose 0 as the value of X when casting it without paying its mana cost.
The mana value of the spell that caused the ability to trigger is determined only by its mana cost, no matter what the total cost to cast the spell was.
The types and mana value of a double-faced card in exile are determined by the characteristics of its front face. The mana value of a split card is the total mana value of both halves of the split card added together.
If you exile your entire library without exiling an instant or sorcery card with a lesser mana value, you will randomize the exiled cards and they again become your library, ending the effect. You will not continue to exile and shuffle your library forever.

Conspiracy Theorist
{1}{R}
Creature — Human Shaman
2/2
Whenever Conspiracy Theorist attacks, you may pay {1} and discard a card. If you do, draw a card.
Whenever you discard one or more nonland cards, you may exile one of them from your graveyard. If you do, you may cast it this turn.

While resolving Conspiracy Theorist's ability, you can't pay {1} and discard a card multiple times to draw more cards.
The card exiled by the second ability is exiled face up. Casting it follows the normal rules for casting that card. You must pay its costs, and you must follow all applicable timing rules. For example, if it's a creature card, you can cast it only during your main phase while the stack is empty. In most cases, if you exile a non-instant card during an opponent's turn, you won't be able to cast it that turn.

Containment Breach
{2}{G}
Sorcery — Lesson
Destroy target artifact or enchantment. If its mana value is 2 or less, create a 1/1 black and green Pest creature token with "When this creature dies, you gain 1 life."

If Containment Breach resolves, and the target artifact has a mana value of 2 or less, but it wasn't destroyed (perhaps because it has indestructible), you will still create a Pest.
If the artifact or enchantment is an illegal target as Containment Breach tries to resolve, it won't resolve and none of its effects will happen. You won't create a Pest.

Crackle with Power
{X}{X}{X}{R}{R}
Sorcery
Crackle with Power deals five times X damage to each of up to X targets.

If you choose 1 for the value of X, Crackle with Power will cost {3}{R}{R} to cast and deal five damage to a single target. If you choose 2 for the value of X, it will cost {6}{R}{R} to cast and deal ten damage to each of up to two targets, and so on.

Culling Ritual
{2}{B}{G}
Sorcery
Destroy each nonland permanent with mana value 2 or less. Add {B} or {G} for each permanent destroyed this way.

You can choose to add either {B} or {G} for each permanent destroyed. You aren't limited to one color.

Culmination of Studies
{X}{U}{R}
Sorcery
Exile the top X cards of your library. For each land card exiled this way, create a Treasure token. For each blue card exiled this way, draw a card. For each red card exiled this way, Culmination of Studies deals 1 damage to each opponent.

You will exile all X cards from the top of your library before taking any of the listed actions.
If an exiled card is both blue and red, Culmination of Studies deals 1 damage to each opponent and you draw a card.
If multiple red cards are exiled, all of the damage is dealt as a single event.

Daemogoth Woe-Eater
{1}{B}{b/g}{G}
Creature — Demon
7/6
At the beginning of your upkeep, sacrifice a creature.
When you sacrifice Daemogoth Woe-Eater, each opponent discards a card, you draw a card, and you gain 2 life.

Daemogoth Woe-Eater's second ability will trigger if you sacrifice it as its first ability resolves. It will also trigger if you sacrifice it for any other reason.

Deadly Brew
{B}{G}
Sorcery
Each player sacrifices a creature or planeswalker. If you sacrificed a permanent this way, you may return another permanent card from your graveyard to your hand.

First the active player chooses which creature or planeswalker they'll sacrifice, then each other player in turn order does the same, knowing choices made before their choice. Then all those permanents are sacrificed simultaneously.
If you cast Deadly Brew and control any creatures or planeswalkers as it resolves, you must sacrifice one of them.
You choose which permanent card you're returning to your hand, if any, as Deadly Brew resolves, after permanents are sacrificed.
You cannot return the same permanent card that you sacrificed.

Detention Vortex
{W}
Enchantment — Aura
Enchant nonland permanent
Enchanted permanent can't attack or block, and its activated abilities can't be activated.
{3}: Destroy Detention Vortex. Only your opponents may activate this ability and only as a sorcery.

In a multiplayer game, any opponent may activate Detention Vortex's last ability, not just an opponent who controls the permanent that it is enchanting.

Devouring Tendrils
{1}{G}
Sorcery
Target creature you control deals damage equal to its power to target creature or planeswalker you don't control. When the permanent you don't control dies this turn, you gain 2 life.

Devouring Tendrils creates a delayed triggered ability that triggers whenever the target creature or planeswalker you don't control dies this turn, even if it didn't die because of the damage dealt as Devouring Tendrils resolved.

Dina, Soul Steeper
{B}{G}
Legendary Creature — Dryad Druid
1/3
Whenever you gain life, each opponent loses 1 life.
{1}, Sacrifice another creature: Dina, Soul Steeper gets +X/+0 until end of turn, where X is the sacrificed creature's power.

Dina's first ability triggers only once for each life gain event, no matter how much life was gained.
When Dina's first ability resolves, each opponent loses only 1 life, no matter how much life was gained.
Each creature with lifelink dealing combat damage causes a separate life gain event. For example, if two creatures you control with lifelink deal combat damage at the same time, a "whenever you gain life" ability will trigger twice. However, if a single creature you control with lifelink deals combat damage to multiple creatures, players, and/or planeswalkers at the same time (perhaps because it has trample or was blocked by more than one creature), the ability will trigger only once.
X is the power the creature had when it was on the battlefield, not the power it has in the graveyard.

Divide by Zero
{2}{U}
Instant
Return target spell or permanent with mana value 1 or greater to its owner's hand.
Learn. (You may reveal a Lesson card you own from outside the game and put it into your hand, or discard a card to draw a card.)

If an effect returns a copy of a spell to its owner's hand, the copy ceases to exist.

Double Major
{G}{U}
Instant
Copy target creature spell you control, except it isn't legendary if the spell is legendary. (A copy of a creature spell becomes a token.)

If a creature spell is copied, it's put onto the battlefield as a token as the spell resolves rather than putting the copy of the spell onto the battlefield. The rules that apply to a permanent spell becoming a permanent apply to a copy of a spell becoming a token.
The token that a resolving copy of a spell becomes isn't said to have been "created."

Dragon's Approach
{2}{R}
Sorcery
Dragon's Approach deals 3 damage to each opponent. You may exile Dragon's Approach and four cards named Dragon's Approach from your graveyard. If you do, search your library for a Dragon creature card, put it onto the battlefield, then shuffle.
A deck can have any number of cards named Dragon's Approach.

In most cases, you'll need to exile five cards named Dragon's Approach (the resolving one from the stack plus four more from your graveyard) to search for a Dragon card. However, if Dragon's Approach is a copy, you can still exile it along with four cards named Dragon's Approach from your graveyard to search for a Dragon card. The exiled copy will then cease to exist.
The last ability of Dragon's Approach lets you ignore the "four-of" rule. It doesn't let you ignore format legality. For example, during a Strixhaven Limited event, you can't add Dragon's Approach from your personal collection.

Dragonsguard Elite
{1}{G}
Creature — Human Druid
2/2
Magecraft — Whenever you cast or copy an instant or sorcery spell, put a +1/+1 counter on Dragonsguard Elite.
{4}{G}{G}: Double the number of +1/+1 counters on Dragonsguard Elite.

To double the number of +1/+1 counters on a permanent, put a number of +1/+1 counters on it equal to the number it already has. Other cards that interact with putting counters on it will interact with this effect accordingly.

Dream Strix
{2}{U}
Creature — Bird Illusion
3/2
Flying
When Dream Strix becomes the target of a spell, sacrifice it.
When Dream Strix dies, learn. (You may reveal a Lesson card you own from outside the game and put it into your hand, or discard a card to draw a card.)

If Dream Strix becomes the target of a spell, it will be sacrificed before that spell tries to resolve. If it is the only target of that spell, it will be removed from the stack rather than resolving, and no part of its instructions will be performed.

Ecological Appreciation
{X}{2}{G}
Sorcery
Search your library and graveyard for up to four creature cards with different names that each have mana value X or less and reveal them. An opponent chooses two of those cards. Shuffle the chosen cards into your library and put the rest onto the battlefield. Exile Ecological Appreciation.

If you find and reveal three cards, two of them will still be shuffled into your library. If you find and reveal one or two cards, no creatures will be put onto the battlefield.

Efreet Flamepainter
{3}{R}
Creature — Efreet Shaman
1/4
Double strike
Whenever Efreet Flamepainter deals combat damage to a player, you may cast target instant or sorcery card from your graveyard without paying its mana cost. If that spell would be put into your graveyard, exile it instead.

Efreet Flamepainter's triggered ability lets you cast the spell immediately, ignoring timing restrictions. It doesn't let you choose to cast it at a later time.
If you cast a spell "without paying its mana cost," you can't choose to cast it for any alternative costs. You can, however, pay additional costs. If the spell has any mandatory additional costs, those must be paid to cast the spell.
If the card has {X} in its mana cost, you must choose 0 as the value of X when casting it without paying its mana cost.

Elemental Expressionist
{u/r}{u/r}{u/r}{u/r}
Creature — Orc Wizard
4/4
Magecraft — Whenever you cast or copy an instant or sorcery spell, choose target creature you control. Until end of turn, it gains "If this creature would leave the battlefield, exile it instead of putting it anywhere else" and "When this creature is put into exile, create a 4/4 blue and red Elemental creature token." (Each instance of that ability triggers separately.)

Elemental Expressionist has received an update to its Oracle text. The official text is listed above. Specifically, the second ability granted to the target creature doesn't care that the creature's controller is the one exiling it. If the creature is put into exile for any reason, that ability will trigger.
If you target a creature token with Elemental Expressionist's ability, and that token would leave the battlefield, it is still exiled (very briefly) before it ceases to exist, and you will still create an Elemental token.
If the magecraft ability triggers and resolves more than once with the same creature as the target, that creature will have multiple instances of each of the two triggered abilities the magecraft ability grants it. Each instance of the second ability will trigger separately, and you'll create an Elemental token for each of them. (Multiple instances of the first granted ability are redundant.)

Elite Spellbinder
{2}{W}
Creature — Human Cleric
3/1
Flying
When Elite Spellbinder enters the battlefield, look at target opponent's hand. You may exile a nonland card from it. For as long as that card remains exiled, its owner may play it. A spell cast this way costs {2} more to cast.

Playing the exiled card follows all normal timing restrictions.
If the exiled card is a modal double-faced card and its back face is a land, its owner may play it as a land. (Note that if the front face is also a land, you couldn't have exiled it to begin with.)

Emergent Sequence
{1}{G}
Sorcery
Search your library for a basic land card, put it onto the battlefield tapped, then shuffle. That land becomes a 0/0 green and blue Fractal creature that's still a land. Put a +1/+1 counter on it for each land you had enter the battlefield under your control this turn.

The land won't be a creature as it enters the battlefield unless some other effect is making it one. Abilities that trigger whenever a creature enters the battlefield won't trigger.
The last sentence of Emergent Sequence's ability counts the land it put onto the battlefield.

Eureka Moment
{2}{G}{U}
Instant
Draw two cards. You may put a land card from your hand onto the battlefield.

Putting a land card from your hand onto the battlefield is not the same as playing a land. You may do it even if you have already played a land on your turn, or if you're casting Eureka Moment on your opponent's turn.

Exponential Growth
{X}{X}{G}{G}
Sorcery
Until end of turn, double target creature's power X times.

If an effect instructs you to "double" a creature's power, that creature gets +X/+0, where X is its power as that effect begins to apply. (This is not the value of X you chose when you cast the spell)
Exponential Growth doubles a creature's power sequentially, not all at the same time. For example, if X is 3 and you target a 2/2 creature, you will double its power once to 4, again to 8, and a third time to 16, making it a 16/2 creature until end of turn.
If a creature's power is less than 0 when it's doubled, instead that creature gets -X/-0, where X is how much less than 0 its power is. For example, if an effect has given a 5/5 creature -7/-0 so that it's a -2/5 creature, doubling its power makes it a -4/5 creature.

Expressive Iteration
{U}{R}
Sorcery
Look at the top three cards of your library. Put one of them into your hand, put one of them on the bottom of your library, and exile one of them. You may play the exiled card this turn.

Cards exiled are always exiled face up unless specified otherwise by the effect that exiled it.
If you choose to play the exiled card this turn, you must still pay all costs and follow all timing restrictions required by that card. If it's a land, you can't play it unless you have a land play available.
If you don't play the exiled card, it remains exiled. It won't be available to be played on future turns.

Extus, Oriq Overlord
{1}{W}{B}{B}
Legendary Creature — Human Warlock
2/4
Double strike
Magecraft — Whenever you cast or copy an instant or sorcery spell, return target nonlegendary creature card from your graveyard to your hand.
/////
Awaken the Blood Avatar
{6}{B}{R}
Sorcery
As an additional cost to cast this spell, you may sacrifice any number of creatures. This spell costs {2} less to cast for each creature sacrificed this way.
Each opponent sacrifices a creature. Create a 3/6 black and red Avatar creature token with haste and "Whenever this creature attacks, it deals 3 damage to each opponent."

Returning a nonlegendary creature card is not optional. If there is at least one in your graveyard, you must target it with the magecraft ability.
Awaken the Blood Avatar's first ability can't reduce its cost below {B}{R}. However, you can sacrifice any number of creatures, even if they won't reduce its cost any further.
Include any additional costs to cast Awaken the Blood Avatar before applying its own cost reduction. For example, if Extus is your commander, and an additional cost of {6} applies from the "commander tax," you may cast Awaken the Blood Avatar by sacrificing four creatures and paying {4}{B}{R}.
As Awaken the Blood Avatar resolves, first the next opponent in turn order (or, if it's an opponent's turn, the opponent whose turn it is) chooses a creature they control, then each other opponent in turn order does the same knowing the choices made before them. Then all the chosen creatures are sacrificed at the same time.
The Blood Avatar will be awakened even if no player has creatures to sacrifice when it resolves.

Fervent Mastery
{3}{R}{R}
Sorcery
You may pay {2}{R}{R} rather than pay this spell's mana cost.
If the {2}{R}{R} cost was paid, an opponent discards any number of cards, then draws that many cards.
Search your library for up to three cards, put them into your hand, shuffle, then discard three cards at random.

If the {2}{R}{R} cost was paid, the opponent chooses how many and which cards to discard as Fervent Mastery resolves. They may choose to discard no cards.

Flamescroll Celebrant
{1}{R}
Creature — Human Shaman
2/1
Whenever an opponent activates an ability that isn't a mana ability, Flamescroll Celebrant deals 1 damage to that player.
{1}{R}: Flamescroll Celebrant gets +2/+0 until end of turn.
/////
Revel in Silence
{W}{W}
Instant
Your opponents can't cast spells or activate planeswalkers' loyalty abilities this turn.
Exile Revel in Silence.

An activated ability that costs mana to activate is not a "mana ability" unless it could also produce mana and has no targets.
Activated abilities contain a colon and appear in the form "[Cost]: [Effect]." Some keywords (such as equip) are activated abilities and will have colons in their reminder texts. Loyalty abilities of planeswalkers are also activated abilities.
Casting Revel in Silence in response to a spell or ability won't affect that spell or ability. That is, it's not countermagic.

Flunk
{1}{B}
Instant
Target creature gets -X/-X until end of turn, where X is 7 minus the number of cards in that creature's controller's hand.

The value of X is determined as Flunk resolves.
If the target creature's controller has seven or more cards in hand when Flunk resolves, the creature gets -0/-0. This effect will never increase the creature's power and toughness.

Fortifying Draught
{G}
Instant
You gain 2 life. Target creature gets +X/+X until end of turn, where X is the amount of life you gained this turn.

Fortifying Draught counts the total amount of life gained without considering any life you lost during that turn. For example, if you lost 2 life and gained 3 life earlier in the turn, you will gain 2 more life from Fortifying Draught and the target creature will get +5/+5.

Frost Trickster
{2}{U}
Creature — Bird Wizard
2/2
Flying
When Frost Trickster enters the battlefield, tap target creature an opponent controls. That creature doesn't untap during its controller's next untap step.

Frost Trickster's ability can target a creature that's already tapped. That creature won't untap during its controller's next untap step.

Fuming Effigy
{3}{R}
Creature — Spirit
4/3
Whenever one or more cards leave your graveyard, Fuming Effigy deals 1 damage to each opponent.

If multiple cards leave your graveyard at the same time, this ability triggers only once, and will deal only 1 damage.

Go Blank
{2}{B}
Sorcery
Target player discards two cards. Then exile all cards from that player's graveyard.

If the target player has one card in hand as Go Blank resolves, they'll discard it and the cards in their graveyard will be exiled. If their hand is empty, you'll just exile the cards in their graveyard.

Golden Ratio
{1}{G}{U}
Sorcery
Draw a card for each different power among creatures you control.

Creatures have different power if their powers are not equal. For example, if you have a creature with 2 power, two creatures with 1 power, and a creature with -1 power, you will draw three cards as Golden Ratio resolves.

Grinning Ignus
{2}{R}
Creature — Elemental
2/2
{R}, Return Grinning Ignus to its owner's hand: Add {C}{C}{R}. Activate only as a sorcery.

Although Grinning Ignus's ability has a timing restriction, it's still a mana ability. It doesn't use the stack and it can't be responded to.
If you cast this as normal during your main phase, it will enter the battlefield and you'll receive priority. If no abilities trigger because of this, you can activate its ability immediately, before any other player has a chance to remove it from the battlefield.

Harness Infinity
{1}{B}{B}{B}{G}{G}{G}
Instant
Exchange your hand and graveyard.
Exile Harness Infinity.

Cards put into your graveyard this way are not discarded. Any ability that triggers when you discard a card will not trigger.
If either your graveyard or your hand has no cards in it, the exchange still happens. If one of those zones has any cards in it, you will move them to the other zone.
If you have more cards in hand than your maximum hand size (usually seven) during the cleanup step of your turn, you will need to discard cards down to your maximum hand size.

Heated Debate
{2}{R}
Instant
This spell can't be countered. (This includes by the ward ability.)
Heated Debate deals 4 damage to target creature or planeswalker.

If Heated Debate's target is illegal (perhaps because it gained protection from red in response) when it tries to resolve, it will be removed from the stack and no damage will be dealt.

Hofri Ghostforge
{3}{R}{W}
Legendary Creature — Dwarf Cleric
4/5
Spirits you control get +1/+1 and have trample and haste.
Whenever another nontoken creature you control dies, exile it. If you do, create a token that's a copy of that creature, except it's a Spirit in addition to its other types and it has "When this creature leaves the battlefield, return the exiled card to your graveyard."

Hofri Ghostforge's last ability is linked to the ability it grants the Spirit token. If a replacement effect causes you to create more than one Spirit token with this effect, they will all have that ability, and the exiled card will be returned to the graveyard if any of them leaves the battlefield.
If another creature enters the battlefield as a copy of the Spirit token or another effect creates a copy of the Spirit token, it will have the triggered ability granted by Hofri, but will not be linked to Hofri's ability and will not return the card to the graveyard when it leaves the battlefield.
Each Spirit token you create refers only to the card you exile during the resolution of the ability that created that token. When it leaves the battlefield, you return only that card to your graveyard, not any other card exiled by Hofri.
If you can't exile the card, perhaps because another effect moved the card before the triggered ability started resolving, you won't create a token.
The copy uses the copiable values of the creature as it last existed on the battlefield before it died, not as it existed in the graveyard before it was exiled.
The token copies exactly what was printed on the original creature and nothing else (unless the creature was copying something else; see below). It doesn't copy whether that creature was tapped or untapped, whether it had any counters on it or Auras or Equipment attached to it, or any non-copy effects that changed its power, toughness, types, color, or so on.
If the copied creature was copying something else, then the token enters the battlefield as whatever that creature copied.
Any enters-the-battlefield abilities of the copied creature will trigger when the token enters the battlefield. Any "As [this creature] enters the battlefield" or "[This creature] enters the battlefield with" abilities of the creature will also work.

Humiliate
{W}{B}
Sorcery
Target opponent reveals their hand. You choose a nonland card from it. That player discards that card. Put a +1/+1 counter on a creature you control.

You may cast Humiliate even if you control no creatures.
You choose which creature to put the +1/+1 counter on as Humiliate is resolving, after their hand has been revealed.

Illuminate History
{2}{R}{R}
Sorcery — Lesson
Discard any number of cards, then draw that many cards. Then if there are seven or more cards in your graveyard, create a 3/2 red and white Spirit creature token.

You may choose not to discard any cards as Illuminate History resolves. In that case, you will not draw any cards, but you might still create a Spirit.
Illuminate History will stay on the stack until it is finished resolving, so it will not count itself as one of the cards in your graveyard.

Jadzi, Oracle of Arcavios
{6}{U}{U}
Legendary Creature — Human Wizard
5/5
Discard a card: Return Jadzi, Oracle of Arcavios to its owner's hand.
Magecraft — Whenever you cast or copy an instant or sorcery spell, reveal the top card of your library. If it's a nonland card, you may cast it by paying {1} rather than paying its mana cost. If it's a land card, put it onto the battlefield.
/////
Journey to the Oracle
{2}{G}{G}
Sorcery
You may put any number of land cards from your hand onto the battlefield. Then if you control eight or more lands, you may discard a card. If you do, return Journey to the Oracle to its owner's hand.

Putting a land onto the battlefield does not count as playing a land for the turn and doesn't use the normal timing restrictions.
You may choose not to cast a nonland card revealed by Jadzi's triggered ability. If you don't cast it, it stays on top of your library.
If you're casting the card you reveal with Jadzi's ability, you ignore normal timing restrictions.
If you reveal a modal double-faced card with Jadzi's triggered ability, and both faces are nonland, you may cast either face by paying {1} rather than its mana cost. If only the back face is a land, you may cast the front face. If both faces are lands, you will put onto the battlefield front face up.
If you cast a spell with {X} in its mana cost using Jadzi's magecraft ability, you must choose 0 as the value of X.
Because the magecraft ability supplies an alternative cost of {1} for the spell, you cannot pay any other alternative costs that may apply. However, you may pay additional costs and must pay any additional costs that are required.
You may activate Jadzi's activated ability only while Jadzi is on the battlefield. If Jadzi is no longer on the battlefield as the ability resolves, it won't return her to your hand from any other zone.

Kasmina, Enigma Sage
{1}{G}{U}
Legendary Planeswalker — Kasmina
2
Each other planeswalker you control has the loyalty abilities of Kasmina, Enigma Sage.
+2: Scry 1.
−X: Create a 0/0 green and blue Fractal creature token. Put X +1/+1 counters on it.
−8: Search your library for an instant or sorcery card that shares a color with this planeswalker, exile that card, then shuffle. You may cast that card without paying its mana cost.

Each other planeswalker you control gains Kasmina's loyalty abilities in addition to their own. For each planeswalker you control, you may still activate only one of that planeswalker's loyalty abilities per turn.
When you activate Kasmina's last loyalty ability on another planeswalker, you search your library for a card that shares a color with that planeswalker, not with Kasmina. You can't search for a colorless card, even if the planeswalker is colorless.

Kianne, Dean of Substance
{2}{G}
Legendary Creature — Elf Druid
2/2
{T}: Exile the top card of your library. If it's a land card, put it into your hand. Otherwise, put a study counter on it.
{4}{G}: Create a 0/0 green and blue Fractal creature token. Put a +1/+1 counter on it for each different mana value among nonland cards you own in exile with study counters on them.
/////
Imbraham, Dean of Theory
{2}{U}{U}
Legendary Creature — Bird Wizard
3/3
Flying
{X}{U}{U}, {T}: Exile the top X cards of your library and put a study counter on each of them. Then you may put a card you own in exile with a study counter on it into your hand.

Cards are exiled face up unless an effect states otherwise.
Exiled cards with study counters on them retain their study counters even if Kianne or Imbraham leave the battlefield.
The second abilities of both Kianne and Imbraham look at all cards you own in exile with study counters, even if they were exiled by a different permanent, such as another Kianne or Imbraham.
You may choose 0 as the value of X as you activate Imbraham's last ability. If you do, you will not exile any cards from your library. However, you may still put a card previously exiled with a study counter on it into your hand.

Killian, Ink Duelist
{W}{B}
Legendary Creature — Human Warlock
2/2
Lifelink
Menace (This creature can't be blocked except by two or more creatures.)
Spells you cast that target a creature cost {2} less to cast.

Killian, Ink Duelist can't reduce the colored mana requirement of a spell's mana cost.
Killian can reduce alternative costs. For example, if you choose to pay the {1}{B} alternative cost for Baleful Mastery while targeting a creature, that cost would be reduced to {B}.
If a spell has additional costs, apply those increases before applying cost reductions.

Leyline Invocation
{5}{G}
Sorcery
Create a 0/0 green and blue Fractal creature token. Put X +1/+1 counters on it, where X is the number of lands you control.

The number of lands you control is counted as Leyline Invocation resolves.

Lorehold Apprentice
{R}{W}
Creature — Human Cleric
2/2
Magecraft — Whenever you cast or copy an instant or sorcery spell, until end of turn, Spirit creatures you control gain "{T}: This creature deals 1 damage to each opponent."

Lorehold Apprentice's ability can give your Spirit creatures multiple instances of "{T}: This creature deals 1 damage to each opponent." However, each Spirit can only activate one of these abilities at a time, and each ability will still only deal 1 damage.

Lorehold Command
{3}{R}{W}
Instant
Choose two —
• Create a 3/2 red and white Spirit creature token.
• Creatures you control get +1/+0 and gain indestructible and haste until end of turn.
• Lorehold Command deals 3 damage to any target. Target player gains 3 life.
• Sacrifice a permanent, then draw two cards.

Spell instructions are followed in order. If you choose the first and second modes, the Spirit token Lorehold Command creates will have +1/+0, indestructible, and haste. If you choose the first and fourth modes, you can sacrifice the Spirit token it creates.
If the third mode is chosen and somehow both of its targets are illegal as Lorehold Command tries to resolve, the entire spell does nothing.

Maelstrom Muse
{1}{U}{u/r}{R}
Creature — Djinn Wizard
2/4
Flying
Whenever Maelstrom Muse attacks, the next instant or sorcery spell you cast this turn costs {X} less to cast, where X is Maelstrom Muse's power as this ability resolves.

To determine the total cost of a spell, start with the mana cost or alternative cost you're paying, add any cost increases, then apply any cost reductions (such as that of Maelstrom Muse's triggered ability). The mana value of the spell is determined only by its mana cost, no matter what the total cost to cast the spell was.
Maelstrom Muse's cost reduction can reduce only generic mana in a spell's total cost. It can't reduce colored mana requirements.

Mage Duel
{2}{G}
Sorcery
This spell costs {2} less to cast if you've cast another instant or sorcery spell this turn.
Target creature you control gets +1/+2 until end of turn. Then it fights target creature you don't control. (Each deals damage equal to its power to the other.)

To determine the total cost of a spell, start with the mana cost or alternative cost you're paying, add any cost increases, then apply any cost reductions (such as that of Mage Duel). Mage Duel's mana value is always 3, no matter what the total cost to cast it was.
You can't cast Mage Duel unless you choose both a creature you control and a creature you don't control as targets.
If the creature you control is an illegal target as Mage Duel tries to resolve, that creature won't get +1/+2. If that creature is a legal target, but the one you don't control isn't, your creature will still get +1/+2. In both cases, no fight will happen and no creature will deal or be dealt damage.

Mage Hunter
{3}{B}
Creature — Horror
3/4
Whenever an opponent casts or copies an instant or sorcery spell, they lose 1 life.

Mage Hunter's triggered ability will resolve before the spell that caused it to trigger.

Magma Opus
{6}{U}{R}
Instant
Magma Opus deals 4 damage divided as you choose among any number of targets. Tap two target permanents. Create a 4/4 blue and red Elemental creature token. Draw two cards.
{u/r}{u/r}, Discard Magma Opus: Create a Treasure token.

You choose all targets for Magma Opus as you cast the spell. This includes up to four targets for the first effect and two target permanents for the second effect.
You also choose how the 4 damage will be divided among the first group of targets as you cast Magma Opus. You must have at least 1 damage dealt to each of those targets.
You must choose two different target permanents for the second effect. You may choose permanents that are already tapped.
The same permanent can be chosen as a target for each of the two instances of "target." That is, you can have Magma Opus both deal damage to a creature or planeswalker and then tap it. (We're having a hard time imagining why you would, but you're the brilliant student.)
If somehow all of Magma Opus's targets are illegal as it tries to resolve, none of its effects happen. You will not create an Elemental token or draw two cards.

Manifestation Sage
{g/u}{g/u}{g/u}{g/u}
Creature — Human Wizard
2/2
When Manifestation Sage enters the battlefield, create a 0/0 green and blue Fractal creature token. Put X +1/+1 counters on it, where X is the number of cards in your hand.

X is number of cards in your hand as Manifestation Sage's triggered ability resolves.

Mascot Interception
{3}{R}
Sorcery
This spell costs {3} less to cast if it targets a creature token.
Gain control of target creature until end of turn. Untap that creature. It gets +2/+0 and gains haste until end of turn.

To determine the total cost of a spell, start with the mana cost or alternative cost you're paying, add any cost increases, then apply any cost reductions (such as that of Mascot Interception). Mascot Interception's mana value is always 4, no matter what the total cost to cast it was.

Master Symmetrist
{2}{G}{G}
Creature — Rhino Druid
4/4
Reach
Whenever a creature you control with power equal to its toughness attacks, it gains trample until end of turn.

Master Symmetrist's triggered ability only looks at the power and toughness of a creature when it attacks. Once the ability has triggered, changing the creature's power or toughness will not stop it from gaining trample or remove trample from it.

Mentor's Guidance
{2}{U}
Sorcery
When you cast this spell, copy it if you control a planeswalker, Cleric, Druid, Shaman, Warlock, or Wizard.
Scry 1, then draw a card.

The triggered ability will trigger when you cast Mentor's Guidance no matter what permanents you control. As that ability tries to resolve, it will check to see if you control at least one permanent with the listed type or subtypes. If you do, Mentor's Guidance will be copied once, not once for each of those permanents. If you don't control a qualifying permanent at that time, the triggered ability won't resolve and it won't copy Mentor's Guidance.

Mercurial Transformation
{1}{U}
Sorcery — Lesson
Until end of turn, target nonland permanent loses all abilities and becomes your choice of a blue Frog creature with base power and toughness 1/1 or a blue Octopus creature with base power and toughness 4/4.

You choose Frog or Octopus as Mercurial Transformation resolves, not when you cast it.

Mila, Crafty Companion
{1}{W}{W}
Legendary Creature — Fox
2/3
Whenever an opponent attacks one or more planeswalkers you control, put a loyalty counter on each planeswalker you control.
Whenever a permanent you control becomes the target of a spell or ability an opponent controls, you may draw a card.
/////
Lukka, Wayward Bonder
{4}{R}{R}
Legendary Planeswalker — Lukka
5
+1: You may discard a card. If you do, draw a card. If a creature card was discarded this way, draw two cards instead.
−2: Return target creature card from your graveyard to the battlefield. It gains haste. Exile it at the beginning of your next upkeep.
−7: You get an emblem with "Whenever a creature enters the battlefield under your control, it deals damage equal to its power to any target."

When Mila's first ability resolves, you will put a loyalty counter on all planeswalkers you control, even ones that aren't being attacked.
Mila's first ability triggers only once no matter how many creatures are attacking or how many planeswalkers are being attacked.
Mila's second ability will resolve before the spell or ability that caused it to trigger.

Mortality Spear
{2}{B}{G}
Instant
This spell costs {2} less to cast if you gained life this turn.
Destroy target nonland permanent.

To determine the total cost of a spell, start with the mana cost or alternative cost you're paying, add any cost increases, then apply any cost reductions (such as that of Mortality Spear). Mortality Spear's mana value is always 4, no matter what the total cost to cast it was.

Multiple Choice
{X}{U}
Sorcery
If X is 1, scry 1, then draw a card.
If X is 2, you may choose a player. They return a creature they control to its owner's hand.
If X is 3, create a 4/4 blue and red Elemental creature token.
If X is 4 or more, do all of the above.

Multiple Choice doesn't have any targets.
Effects that increase or decrease costs are applied after you choose the value of X, and will not impact the results of the spell.
You can choose 0 as the value of X as you cast Multiple Choice, but it will have no effect when it resolves.
If an effect allows you to cast Multiple Choice without paying its mana cost, you must choose 0 as the value of X. Cheating on tests is frowned upon.

Pestilent Cauldron
{2}{B}
Artifact
{T}, Discard a card: Create a 1/1 black and green Pest creature token with "When this creature dies, you gain 1 life."
{1}, {T}: Each opponent mills cards equal to the amount of life you gained this turn.
{4}, {T}: Exile four target cards from a single graveyard. Draw a card.
/////
Restorative Burst
{3}{G}{G}
Sorcery
Return up to two target creature, land, and/or planeswalker cards from your graveyard to your hand. Each player gains 4 life. Exile Restorative Burst.

Pestilent Cauldron's second ability counts the total amount of life gained without considering any life you lost during that turn. For example, if you lost 2 life and gained 2 life earlier in the turn, your opponents will mill two cards.
You must be able to target four cards in a single graveyard in order to activate Pestilent Cauldron's last ability.
You may cast Restorative Burst with no targets. If you do, each player will gain 4 life and you'll exile Restorative Burst. However, if you choose one or two target cards, and each of those cards is an illegal target as Restorative Burst tries to resolve (usually because something else moved them in response), Restorative Burst won't resolve and none of its effects will happen. No one will gain life, and Restorative Burst won't be exiled.

Pigment Storm
{3}{R}{R}
Sorcery
Pigment Storm deals 5 damage to target creature. Excess damage is dealt to that creature's controller instead.

Excess damage caused by a spell or ability is similar to how combat damage from a creature with trample is handled. Start with the amount of damage being dealt to the creature and determine what is "lethal." This is the creature's toughness minus the amount of damage that it already has marked on it, but ignoring any replacement or prevention effects that will modify this damage. Also ignore whether the creature has an ability such as indestructible that will result in it not being destroyed by this damage.
Once you've determined how much damage is excess, Pigment Storm simultaneously deals damage to the creature and to its controller. This damage may be modified by replacement or prevention effects.
If the target creature is an illegal target by the time Pigment Storm tries to resolve, the spell won't resolve. It won't deal damage to any player.
Pigment Storm's replacement effect is a self-replacement effect. It is applied before any other replacement effects that would change the amount of damage dealt to the target creature and its controller.

Plargg, Dean of Chaos
{1}{R}
Legendary Creature — Orc Shaman
2/2
{T}, Discard a card: Draw a card.
{4}{R}, {T}: Reveal cards from the top of your library until you reveal a nonlegendary, nonland card with mana value 3 or less. You may cast that card without paying its mana cost. Put all revealed cards not cast this way on the bottom of your library in a random order.
/////
Augusta, Dean of Order
{2}{W}
Legendary Creature — Human Cleric
1/3
Other tapped creatures you control get +1/+0.
Other untapped creatures you control get +0/+1.
Whenever you attack, untap each creature you control, then tap any number of creatures you control.

Plargg, Dean of Chaos's second ability allows you to cast the spell during that ability's resolution, ignoring its normal timing restrictions.
Despite the term "other tapped creatures," Augusta's first ability doesn't care whether Augusta is tapped or untapped. The same is true for the second ability. Both abilities apply as long as Augusta is on the battlefield.
Augusta's last ability triggers whenever you attack with any creatures, even if you didn't attack with Augusta.
Augusta's last ability untaps all creatures you control, not just the ones that attacked this turn. Then you choose which creatures to tap, if any.
Untapping an attacking creature doesn't remove it from combat. It's still attacking normally.

Plumb the Forbidden
{1}{B}
Instant
As an additional cost to cast this spell, you may sacrifice one or more creatures. When you do, copy this spell for each creature sacrificed this way.
You draw a card and you lose 1 life.

If you sacrifice a creature with a magecraft ability to cast Plumb the Forbidden, that creature's ability will not trigger.
If you copy Plumb the Forbidden multiple times, each magecraft ability of a creature you control will trigger that many times.

Practical Research
{3}{U}{R}
Instant
Draw four cards. Then discard two cards unless you discard an instant or sorcery card.

As Practical Research resolves, you can discard either one instant or sorcery card or discard two cards, each of which may or may not be an instant or sorcery card.

Prismari Command
{1}{U}{R}
Instant
Choose two —
• Prismari Command deals 2 damage to any target.
• Target player draws two cards, then discards two cards.
• Target player creates a Treasure token.
• Destroy target artifact.

If all of Prismari Command's targets are illegal as it tries to resolve, it will do nothing.
If at least one target is still legal as Prismari Command tries to resolve, it will resolve and do as much as it can.

Professor Onyx
{4}{B}{B}
Legendary Planeswalker — Liliana
5
Magecraft — Whenever you cast or copy an instant or sorcery spell, each opponent loses 2 life and you gain 2 life.
+1: You lose 1 life. Look at the top three cards of your library. Put one of them into your hand and the rest into your graveyard.
−3: Each opponent sacrifices a creature with the greatest power among creatures that player controls.
−8: Each opponent may discard a card. If they don't, they lose 3 life. Repeat this process six more times.

For Professor Onyx's second loyalty ability, if an opponent has multiple creatures with the greatest power, that player choose which one to sacrifice. The next opponent in turn order chooses which creature they are sacrificing, then each other opponent in turn order does the same, knowing the choices made before them. Then all chosen creatures are sacrificed at the same time.
For Professor Onyx's last loyalty ability, "this process" is the following: First, the next opponent in turn order may choose a card in hand without revealing it, then each other opponent in turn order does the same. Then all the chosen cards are revealed and discarded at the same time and each opponent who didn't discard a card (whether they chose not to or had an empty hand) loses 3 life. This all will happen seven times, for a maximum loss of 21 life per opponent.
If Professor Onyx seems familiar, it's probably because you've seen this type of planeswalker before.

Quandrix Command
{1}{G}{U}
Instant
Choose two —
• Return target creature or planeswalker to its owner's hand.
• Counter target artifact or enchantment spell.
• Put two +1/+1 counters on target creature.
• Target player shuffles up to three target cards from their graveyard into their library.

If all of Quandrix Command's targets are illegal as it tries to resolve, it will do nothing.
If at least one target is still legal as Quandrix Command tries to resolve, it will resolve and do as much as it can.
As Quandrix Command tries to resolve, if the fourth mode is chosen and all of the target cards are illegal, but the target player is still legal, that player will still shuffle their library.

Quintorius, Field Historian
{3}{R}{W}
Legendary Creature — Elephant Cleric
2/4
Spirits you control get +1/+0.
Whenever one or more cards leave your graveyard, create a 3/2 red and white Spirit creature token.

If two or more cards leave your graveyard as a single event, Quintorius's last ability will trigger once. If they leave your graveyard as separate events, it will trigger once for each event.

Radiant Scrollwielder
{2}{R}{W}
Creature — Dwarf Cleric
2/4
Instant and sorcery spells you control have lifelink.
At the beginning of your upkeep, exile an instant or sorcery card at random from your graveyard. You may cast it this turn. If a spell cast this way would be put into your graveyard, exile it instead.

You still pay the mana cost when casting the exiled card, and you must follow all timing rules for it.
If an instant or sorcery spell you control with lifelink deals damage to you, you gain and lose that much life simultaneously. In this case, your life total doesn't change. (You may gain life if the spell also deals damage to other permanents and/or players, however.)
Some instant and sorcery spells instruct other things to deal damage rather than deal damage themselves. In these cases, you won't gain life for that damage (unless the other things also have lifelink). Notably, a spell that instructs a creature you control to fight won't cause you to gain life.

Reckless Amplimancer
{1}{G}
Creature — Elf Druid
2/2
{4}{G}: Double Reckless Amplimancer's power and toughness until end of turn.

If an effect instructs you to "double" a creature's power, that creature gets +X/+0, where X is its power as that effect begins to apply. The same is true for toughness.
If a creature's power is less than 0 when it's doubled, instead that creature gets -X/-0, where X is how much less than 0 its power is. For example, if an effect has given Reckless Amplimancer -4/-0 so that it's a -2/2 creature, doubling its power and toughness gives it -2/+2, and it becomes a -4/4 creature.

Retriever Phoenix
{3}{R}
Creature — Phoenix
2/2
Flying, haste
When Retriever Phoenix enters the battlefield, if you cast it, learn. (You may reveal a Lesson card you own from outside the game and put it into your hand, or discard a card to draw a card.)
As long as Retriever Phoenix is in your graveyard, if you would learn, you may instead return Retriever Phoenix to the battlefield.

Retriever Phoenix must be in your graveyard at the moment you're instructed to learn if you want to use the last ability to return it to the battlefield.
If Retriever Phoenix somehow dies with its triggered ability on the stack, you may return it to the battlefield with that triggered ability.

Rootha, Mercurial Artist
{1}{U}{R}
Legendary Creature — Orc Shaman
1/4
{2}, Return Rootha, Mercurial Artist to its owner's hand: Copy target instant or sorcery spell you control. You may choose new targets for the copy.

Rootha, Mercurial Artist's ability must have a target to be activated. You can't activate it without a target in order to return Rootha to your hand.

Rowan, Scholar of Sparks
{2}{R}
Legendary Planeswalker — Rowan
2
Instant and sorcery spells you cast cost {1} less to cast.
+1: Rowan, Scholar of Sparks deals 1 damage to each opponent. If you've drawn three or more cards this turn, she deals 3 damage to each opponent instead.
−4: You get an emblem with "Whenever you cast an instant or sorcery spell, you may pay {2}. If you do, copy that spell. You may choose new targets for the copy."
/////
Will, Scholar of Frost
{4}{U}
Legendary Planeswalker — Will
4
Instant and sorcery spells you cast cost {1} less to cast.
+1: Up to one target creature has base power and toughness 0/2 until your next turn.
−3: Draw two cards.
−7: Exile up to five target permanents. For each permanent exiled this way, its controller creates a 4/4 blue and red Elemental creature token.

Neither face's first ability can reduce colored mana requirements of spells you cast.
To determine the total cost of a spell, start with the mana cost or alternative cost you're paying, add any cost increases, then apply any cost reductions (such as that of Rowan or Will's first ability). The mana value of the spell is determined only by its mana cost, no matter what the total cost to cast the spell was.
For Rowan's emblem, you can pay {2} only once. You can't pay more to copy the spell more than once.
For Will's first loyalty ability, any effects that modify a creature's power and/or toughness without setting them to a specific value (i.e. ones that don't affect base power and/or toughness) will apply after its base power and toughness are set, regardless of the order those effects were created. The same is true for counters that modify its power and toughness.

Rushed Rebirth
{B}{G}
Instant
Choose target creature. When that creature dies this turn, search your library for a creature card with lesser mana value, put it onto the battlefield tapped, then shuffle.

If you choose a creature or search for a creature card with {X} in its mana cost, X is considered to be 0.

Scurrid Colony
{1}{G}
Creature — Squirrel
2/2
Reach
Scurrid Colony gets +2/+2 as long as you control eight or more lands.

Because damage remains marked on creatures until the damage is removed as the turn ends, nonlethal damage dealt to Scurrid Colony may become lethal if the number of lands you control falls below eight.
If the number of lands you control falls below eight, Scurrid Colony loses the +2/+2 bonus. This may cause it to die to damage that is already marked on it.

Secret Rendezvous
{1}{W}{W}
Sorcery
You and target opponent each draw three cards.

If the opponent is an illegal target as Secret Rendezvous tries to resolve, neither player will draw cards.

Selfless Glyphweaver
{2}{W}
Creature — Human Cleric
2/3
Exile Selfless Glyphweaver: Creatures you control gain indestructible until end of turn.
/////
Deadly Vanity
{5}{B}{B}{B}
Sorcery
Choose a creature or planeswalker, then destroy all other creatures and planeswalkers.

You may activate Selfless Glyphweaver's ability only if Selfless Glyphweaver is on the battlefield. Only creatures you control as that ability resolves will gain indestructible. Creatures that come under your control later in the turn will not.
As Deadly Vanity resolves, you choose which creature or planeswalker you are saving. Once the choice is made, there is no window for players to respond before the rest of the creatures and planeswalkers are destroyed.
You may choose any creature or planeswalker, even one controlled by an opponent.
You must choose a creature or planeswalker if there is one on the battlefield.
Because Deadly Vanity does not target the permanent you choose to save, you may choose creatures with hexproof or protection from black.

Semester's End
{3}{W}
Instant
Exile any number of target creatures and/or planeswalkers you control. At the beginning of the next end step, return each of them to the battlefield under its owner's control. Each of them enters the battlefield with an additional +1/+1 counter on it if it's a creature and an additional loyalty counter on it if it's a planeswalker.

Use the characteristics of each permanent as it returns to the battlefield to determine if it should enter with an additional +1/+1 counter, an additional loyalty counter, or in very unusual cases, both. Notably, if you exile a creature that was only a creature because of a type-changing effect, it will enter as a noncreature permanent and won't get any additional +1/+1 counters from the effect of Semester's End.

Serpentine Curve
{3}{U}
Sorcery
Create a 0/0 green and blue Fractal creature token. Put X +1/+1 counters on it, where X is one plus the total number of instant and sorcery cards you own in exile and in your graveyard.

Serpentine Curve itself is not yet in your graveyard when you determine the value of X.
If you own face-down cards in exile, they won't count toward the value of X, even if you're allowed to look at them and you know they are instant or sorcery cards.

Shadrix Silverquill
{3}{W}{B}
Legendary Creature — Elder Dragon
2/5
Flying, double strike
At the beginning of combat on your turn, you may choose two. Each mode must target a different player.
• Target player creates a 2/1 white and black Inkling creature token with flying.
• Target player draws a card and loses 1 life.
• Target player puts a +1/+1 counter on each creature they control.

You may choose exactly zero modes or two modes. You can't choose only one mode. If you choose two modes, you choose which two and the target players as you put the triggered ability on the stack.
You can target a player with the third mode even if they control no creatures.

Shaile, Dean of Radiance
{1}{W}
Legendary Creature — Bird Cleric
1/1
Flying, vigilance
{T}: Put a +1/+1 counter on each creature that entered the battlefield under your control this turn.
/////
Embrose, Dean of Shadow
{2}{B}{B}
Legendary Creature — Human Warlock
4/4
{T}: Put a +1/+1 counter on another target creature, then Embrose, Dean of Shadow deals 2 damage to that creature.
Whenever a creature you control with a +1/+1 counter on it dies, draw a card.

If a creature entered the battlefield under your control this turn but is controlled by a different player when Shaile's activated ability resolves, it will still get a +1/+1 counter.

Show of Confidence
{1}{W}
Instant
When you cast this spell, copy it for each other instant and sorcery spell you've cast this turn. You may choose new targets for the copies.
Put a +1/+1 counter on target creature. It gains vigilance until end of turn.

The triggered ability counts all instants and sorceries that were cast before it resolves. If you cast instant spells in response to the ability, those spells will count.
Magecraft abilities trigger once for each copy created as Show of Confidence's triggered ability resolves.
If the target of the original Show of Confidence has become an illegal target when that spell is copied, the copies will initially still target the same creature. If you don't choose new targets for the copies, they each will fail to resolve. Notably, you don't have to change targets, especially not to opposing creatures, just because the current target of Show of Confidence is illegal.

Silverquill Command
{2}{W}{B}
Sorcery
Choose two —
• Target creature gets +3/+3 and gains flying until end of turn.
• Return target creature card with mana value 2 or less from your graveyard to the battlefield.
• Target player draws a card and loses 1 life.
• Target opponent sacrifices a creature.

If all of Silverquill Command's targets are illegal as it tries to resolve, it will do nothing.
If at least one target is still legal as Silverquill Command tries to resolve, it will resolve and do as much as it can.

Silverquill Silencer
{W}{B}
Creature — Human Cleric
3/2
As Silverquill Silencer enters the battlefield, choose a nonland card name.
Whenever an opponent casts a spell with the chosen name, they lose 3 life and you draw a card.

Silverquill Silencer's second triggered ability resolves before the spell that caused it to trigger.

Snow Day
{4}{U}{U}
Instant
Tap up to two target creatures. Those creatures don't untap during their controller's next untap step.
Draw two cards, then discard a card.

If you chose targets for Snow Day as you cast it, and none of those targets are legal as it tries to resolve, it will be removed from the stack and do nothing. You will not draw or discard.
You may choose tapped creatures as targets. Those creatures won't untap during their controller's next untap step.

Spectacle Mage
{1}{U}{R}
Creature — Bird Shaman
2/2
Flying
Instant and sorcery spells you cast with mana value 5 or greater cost {1} less to cast.

Spectacle Mage's second ability can't reduce the colored mana requirements in spells you cast.
Spectacle Mage's second ability only looks at the mana value of a spell, not the cost you're paying for it. For example, if you control two Spectacle Mages and cast a sorcery with mana cost {4}{U}, the cost will be reduced to {2}{U}.
If there is an {X} in the spell's mana cost, use the chosen value for X to determine its mana value. For example, if you cast a sorcery with mana cost {X}{U} and choose 4 for X, its mana value is 5.

Spiteful Squad
{2}{W}{B}
Creature — Human Warlock
0/0
Deathtouch
Spiteful Squad enters the battlefield with two +1/+1 counters on it.
When Spiteful Squad dies, put its counters on target creature you control.

Spiteful Squad puts all of its counters onto the target creature, not just its +1/+1 counters.
Spiteful Squad's ability doesn't cause you to move counters from itself to the target creature. Rather, you put the same number of each kind of counter Spiteful Squad had when it died onto that creature.
In some unusual cases, you may end up putting the appropriate counters on more than one permanent. For example, if you control The Ozolith when Spiteful Squad dies, you will put the appropriate number of each kind of counter onto both The Ozolith and the target creature.
If Spiteful Squad has -1/-1 counters on it when it dies, the last ability will include those as well. This may result in the recipient also dying. Spiteful indeed.

Square Up
{1}{g/u}
Instant
Target creature has base power and toughness 4/4 until end of turn.

Square Up overwrites all previous effects that set the target creature's power and toughness to specific values. Other effects that set its power or toughness to specific values that start to apply after Square Up resolves will overwrite this effect.
Any effects that modify a creature's power and/or toughness without setting them to a specific value (i.e. ones that don't affect base power and/or toughness) will apply after its base power and toughness are set, regardless of the order those effects were created. The same is true for counters that modify its power and toughness.

Star Pupil
{W}
Creature — Human Wizard
0/0
Star Pupil enters the battlefield with a +1/+1 counter on it.
When Star Pupil dies, put its counters on target creature you control.

Star Pupil puts all of its counters onto the target creature, not just its +1/+1 counters.
Star Pupil's ability doesn't cause you to move counters from itself to the target creature. Rather, you put the same number of each kind of counter Star Pupil had when it died onto that creature.
In some unusual cases, you may end up putting the appropriate counters on more than one permanent. For example, if you control The Ozolith when Star Pupil dies, you will put the appropriate number of each kind of counter onto both The Ozolith and the target creature.
If Star Pupil has -1/-1 counters on it when it dies, the last ability will include those as well. This may result in the recipient also dying.

Stonebinder's Familiar
{W}
Creature — Spirit Dog
1/1
Whenever one or more cards are put into exile during your turn, put a +1/+1 counter on Stonebinder's Familiar. This ability triggers only once each turn.

If multiple cards are put into exile as part of the same event on your turn, the triggered ability will trigger only once.

Stonebound Mentor
{1}{R}{W}
Creature — Spirit Advisor
3/3
Whenever one or more cards leave your graveyard, scry 1.

If multiple cards leave your graveyard as part of the same event, Stonebound Mentor's ability will trigger only once.

Strict Proctor
{1}{W}
Creature — Spirit Cleric
1/3
Flying
Whenever a permanent entering the battlefield causes a triggered ability to trigger, counter that ability unless its controller pays {2}.

Triggered abilities use the word "when," "whenever," or "at." They're often written as "[Trigger condition], [effect]."
Effects that modify how a creature enters the battlefield are not triggered abilities and are not affected by Strict Proctor's ability. These include (but aren't limited to) effects that have a permanent enter the battlefield as a copy of another permanent, effects that have a permanent enter with counters, and effects that have a permanent enter tapped.
Abilities that trigger when something else causes an ability to trigger will always go on the stack after the ability that caused them to trigger. For example, Strict Proctor's ability will always resolve before the triggered ability that caused it to trigger does. This is a change from previous rules.

Strixhaven Stadium
{3}
Artifact
{T}: Add {C}. Put a point counter on Strixhaven Stadium.
Whenever a creature deals combat damage to you, remove a point counter from Strixhaven Stadium.
Whenever a creature you control deals combat damage to an opponent, put a point counter on Strixhaven Stadium. Then if it has ten or more point counters on it, remove them all and that player loses the game.

"That player" refers to the opponent who was dealt damage.
If multiple creatures deal combat damage to you or an opponent at the same time, the appropriate ability of Strixhaven Stadium will trigger that many times. You can put these abilities on the stack in any order. The last ability put on the stack will be the first to resolve.
In a multiplayer game, if creatures you control deal combat damage to multiple opponents at the same time, the last ability will trigger multiple times. However, because the counters are removed, it is difficult (but not impossible) to make multiple players lose the game from this ability in the same combat phase.
The check for ten or more point counters happens only as the last ability is resolving. Notably, if you add the tenth point counter some other way, no one will lose the game. . .yet.

Symmetry Sage
{U}
Creature — Human Wizard
0/2
Flying
Magecraft — Whenever you cast or copy an instant or sorcery spell, target creature you control has base power 2 until end of turn.

Symmetry Sage's triggered ability overwrites all previous effects that set the target creature's power to a specific value. Other effects that set its power to specific values that start to apply after this ability resolves will overwrite this effect.
Any effects that modify a creature's power without setting it to a specific value (i.e. ones that don't affect base power) will apply after its base power is set, regardless of the order those effects were created. The same is true for counters that modify its power.

Tanazir Quandrix
{3}{G}{U}
Legendary Creature — Elder Dragon
4/4
Flying, trample
When Tanazir Quandrix enters the battlefield, double the number of +1/+1 counters on target creature you control.
Whenever Tanazir Quandrix attacks, you may have the base power and toughness of other creatures you control become equal to Tanazir Quandrix's power and toughness until end of turn.

To double the number of +1/+1 counters on a permanent, put a number of +1/+1 counters on it equal to the number it already has. Other cards that interact with putting counters on it will interact with this effect accordingly.
As the last ability resolves, the base power and toughness of other creatures you control are set to Tanazir Quandrix's actual power and toughness, not just its base power and toughness. If Tanazir Quandrix's power or toughness changes later in the turn, the other creatures you control aren't affected.
Tanazir Quandrix's last ability overwrites all previous effects that set a creature's power and toughness to specific values. Other effects that set its power or toughness to specific values that start to apply after the ability resolves will overwrite this effect.
Any effects that modify a creature's power and/or toughness without setting them to a specific value (i.e. ones that don't affect base power and/or toughness) will apply after its base power and toughness are set, regardless of the order those effects were created. The same is true for counters that modify its power and toughness.

Teachings of the Archaics
{2}{U}
Sorcery — Lesson
If an opponent has more cards in hand than you, draw two cards. Draw three cards instead if an opponent has at least four more cards in hand than you.

The number of cards in each player's hand is determined as Teachings of the Archaics resolves.

Tempted by the Oriq
{1}{U}{U}{U}
Sorcery
For each opponent, gain control of up to one target creature or planeswalker that player controls with mana value 3 or less.

Tempted by the Oriq's control-changing effect lasts indefinitely.
Unless it has haste, you will not able to attack with a creature or activate its abilities that have {T} in the cost on the turn you gain control of it.

Tend the Pests
{B}{G}
Instant
As an additional cost to cast this spell, sacrifice a creature.
Create X 1/1 black and green Pest creature tokens with "When this creature dies, you gain 1 life," where X is the sacrificed creature's power.

Copies of Tend the Pests will use the power of the creature sacrificed for the original spell to determine the number of Pests each copy creates. Because the copies aren't cast, you won't sacrifice additional creatures for them.

Test of Talents
{1}{U}
Instant
Counter target instant or sorcery spell. Search its controller's graveyard, hand, and library for any number of cards with the same name as that spell and exile them. That player shuffles, then draws a card for each card exiled from their hand this way.

Countering a spell normally puts that card into the graveyard, so that card will be there to find and exile.
If the back face of a modal double-faced card is countered, you will not be able to exile any cards, including the one that you countered, because those cards have only their front-face characteristics (including name) in the graveyard, hand, and library.

The Biblioplex
Land
{T}: Add {C}.
{2}, {T}: Look at the top card of your library. If it's an instant or sorcery card, you may reveal it and put it into your hand. If you don't put the card into your hand, you may put it into your graveyard. Activate only if you have exactly zero or seven cards in hand.

If you don't choose to either reveal the card or put it into your graveyard, the card stays on top of your library.
Although you must have exactly zero or seven cards in your hand to activate the last ability, it doesn't matter how many cards you have in your hand as that ability resolves.

Thunderous Orator
{1}{W}
Creature — Kor Wizard
2/2
Vigilance
Whenever Thunderous Orator attacks, it gains flying until end of turn if you control a creature with flying. The same is true for first strike, double strike, deathtouch, indestructible, lifelink, menace, and trample.

If you control a creature with one of the abilities listed in the last sentence, Thunderous Orator will gain the that ability, not flying.
Check the creatures you control as the triggered ability resolves to determine which abilities Thunderous Orator gains. Once Thunderous Orator gains an ability, it doesn't matter what happens to other creatures you control with that ability.

Torrent Sculptor
{2}{U}{U}
Creature — Merfolk Wizard
2/2
Ward {2} (Whenever this creature becomes the target of a spell or ability an opponent controls, counter it unless that player pays {2}.)
When Torrent Sculptor enters the battlefield, exile an instant or sorcery card from your graveyard. Put a number of +1/+1 counters on Torrent Sculptor equal to half that card's mana value, rounded up.
/////
Flamethrower Sonata
{1}{R}
Sorcery
Discard a card, then draw a card. When you discard an instant or sorcery card this way, Flamethrower Sonata deals damage equal to that card's mana value to target creature or planeswalker you don't control.

You choose which instant or sorcery card to exile as Torrent Sculptor's enters-the-battlefield ability resolves. You must exile one if able.
Flamethrower Sonata goes on the stack without a target. While it is resolving, you discard a card, then draw a card. When you discard an instant or sorcery card this way, the reflexive triggered ability triggers and you pick a target to be dealt damage. This is different from effects that say "If you do. . ." in that players can respond to the triggered ability knowing how much damage will be dealt.
If you have no cards in hand as Flamethrower Sonata resolves, you won't be able to discard a card, but you will draw a card. No damage will be dealt.

Uvilda, Dean of Perfection
{2}{U}
Legendary Creature — Djinn Wizard
2/2
{T}: You may exile an instant or sorcery card from your hand and put three hone counters on it. It gains "At the beginning of your upkeep, if this card is exiled, remove a hone counter from it" and "When the last hone counter is removed from this card, if it's exiled, you may cast it. It costs {4} less to cast this way."
/////
Nassari, Dean of Expression
{3}{R}{R}
Legendary Creature — Efreet Shaman
4/4
At the beginning of your upkeep, exile the top card of each opponent's library. Until end of turn, you may cast spells from among those exiled cards, and you may spend mana as though it were mana of any color to cast those spells.
Whenever you cast a spell from exile, put a +1/+1 counter on Nassari, Dean of Expression.

After removing the last hone counter, casting the spell is optional. Timing permissions based on the card's type are ignored. If an effect prohibits you from casting the card or you choose not to cast it, it remains exiled with no hone counters on it, and you won't be able to cast it later.
The cost reduction given by Uvilda, Dean of Perfection won't reduce any colored mana requirements in the spell's cost.
To determine the total cost of a spell, start with the mana cost or alternative cost you're paying, add any cost increases, then apply any cost reductions (such as that of Uvilda, Dean of Perfection). The mana value of the spell is determined only by its mana cost, no matter what the total cost to cast the spell was.
You exile cards with Nassari, Dean of Expression face up. Casting those spells is subject to the normal timing restrictions for spells.
Any cards exiled with Nassari's ability that you don't cast will remain exiled. You won't be able to cast those cards on future turns, although Nassari's ability will give you another group of cards to choose from each time it resolves.
Nassari's last ability triggers when you cast any spell from exile, not just the cards that were exiled with its first ability.

Valentin, Dean of the Vein
{B}
Legendary Creature — Vampire Warlock
1/1
Menace, lifelink
If a nontoken creature an opponent controls would die, exile it instead. When you do, you may pay {2}. If you do, create a 1/1 black and green Pest creature token with "When this creature dies, you gain 1 life."
/////
Lisette, Dean of the Root
{2}{G}{G}
Legendary Creature — Human Druid
4/4
Whenever you gain life, you may pay {1}. If you do, put a +1/+1 counter on each creature you control and those creatures gain trample until end of turn.

If a nontoken creature an opponent controls would die, and both Valentin and another effect are trying to exile it instead, that opponent chooses which effect to apply. If Valentin's effect ends up not applying because of this choice, the triggered ability that allows you to pay {2} won't trigger, even if the creature card ends up in exile.
If you gain life at the same time a creature you control is dealt lethal damage, that creature dies before Lisette's ability can put a +1/+1 counter on it.
An ability that triggers "whenever you gain life" triggers just once for each life-gaining event, no matter how much life you gain.
You may only pay {1} once for each life gain event.
Each creature with lifelink dealing combat damage causes a separate life-gaining event. For example, if two creatures you control with lifelink deal combat damage at the same time, a "whenever you gain life" ability will trigger twice. However, if a single creature you control with lifelink deals combat damage to multiple creatures, players, and/or planeswalkers at the same time (perhaps because it has trample or was blocked by more than one creature), the ability will trigger only once.
If you gain an amount of life "for each" of something, that life is gained as one event and the ability will trigger only once.

Velomachus Lorehold
{5}{R}{W}
Legendary Creature — Elder Dragon
5/5
Flying, vigilance, haste
Whenever Velomachus Lorehold attacks, look at the top seven cards of your library. You may cast an instant or sorcery spell with mana value less than or equal to Velomachus Lorehold's power from among them without paying its mana cost. Put the rest on the bottom of your library in a random order.

When Velomachus Lorehold's triggered ability resolves, it lets you cast a spell immediately, ignoring timing restrictions. It does not let you cast that spell later in the turn.
If you choose not to cast a spell this way, all of the cards will be put on the bottom of the library in a random order.
If you're casting a spell with {X} in its cost without paying its mana cost, you must choose 0 for the value of X.

Wandering Archaic
{5}
Creature — Avatar
4/4
Whenever an opponent casts an instant or sorcery spell, they may pay {2}. If they don't, you may copy that spell. You may choose new targets for the copy.
/////
Explore the Vastlands
{3}
Sorcery
Each player looks at the top five cards of their library and may reveal a land card and/or an instant or sorcery card from among them. Each player puts the cards they revealed this way into their hand and the rest on the bottom of their library in a random order. Each player gains 3 life.

For Wandering Archaic's triggered ability, the opponent chooses whether to pay {2} before their spell resolves. If they don't pay {2}, your copy will resolve before the original spell.
Explore the Vastlands has received an update to its Oracle text. The official text is listed above. Specifically, revealing either a land card or an instant or sorcery card is optional. Any player who can't reveal a card or chooses not to simply puts all cards they looked at on the bottom of their library in a random order. Each player gains 3 life whether they revealed a card or not.
While resolving Explore the Vastlands, first the active player reveals the cards they are going to put into their hand. Then each other player in turn order does the same, knowing choices made before they choose.

Witherbloom Command
{B}{G}
Sorcery
Choose two —
• Target player mills three cards, then you return a land card from your graveyard to your hand.
• Destroy target noncreature, nonland permanent with mana value 2 or less.
• Target creature gets -3/-1 until end of turn.
• Target opponent loses 2 life and you gain 2 life.

If you target yourself with the first mode, you may return any land card to your hand, including one you just milled or one that was already there.
If all of Witherbloom Command's targets are illegal as it tries to resolve, it will do nothing.
If at least one target is still legal as Witherbloom Command tries to resolve, it will resolve and do as much as it can.

Zimone, Quandrix Prodigy
{G}{U}
Legendary Creature — Human Wizard
1/2
{1}, {T}: You may put a land card from your hand onto the battlefield tapped.
{4}, {T}: Draw a card. If you control eight or more lands, draw two cards instead.

Zimone's first ability isn't the same as playing a land. As it resolves, you may put a land card from your hand onto the battlefield tapped even if you have no available land plays or it's another player's turn.
Zimone's last ability counts the number of lands you control as it resolves, not as you activate it.

STRIXHAVEN MYSTICAL ARCHIVE CARD-SPECIFIC NOTES

Agonizing Remorse
{1}{B}
Sorcery
Target opponent reveals their hand. You choose a nonland card from it or a card from their graveyard. Exile that card. You lose 1 life.

If you choose a card from their graveyard, it may be a land card.
You must choose a card to exile if able. For example, if there are no nonland cards in the opponent's hand, you must exile a card from their graveyard.
No player may take actions between the time you choose a card and the time it's exiled.
If there are no nonland cards in the target opponent's hand and no cards in their graveyard, then you just lose 1 life.

Approach of the Second Sun
{6}{W}
Sorcery
If this spell was cast from your hand and you've cast another spell named Approach of the Second Sun this game, you win the game. Otherwise, put Approach of the Second Sun into its owner's library seventh from the top and you gain 7 life.

A card that changes zones is considered a new object, so casting the same Approach of the Second Sun card on a later turn is "another spell" named Approach of the Second Sun.
If you have fewer than six cards in your library, you'll put Approach of the Second Sun on the bottom of your library. Otherwise, you'll lift up the top six cards without looking at them and place Approach of the Second Sun just under them.
The second Approach of the Second Sun that you cast must be cast from your hand, but first may have been cast from anywhere.
A copy of a spell isn't cast, so it won't count as the first nor as the second Approach of the Second Sun.
As your second Approach of the Second Sun resolves, it checks only whether the first one was cast, not whether the first one resolved. If your first Approach of the Second Sun was countered, you'll still win the game as your second one resolves.
Approach of the Second Sun has no effect until it's resolving. If the second one you cast is countered, you won't win the game.

Blue Sun's Zenith
{X}{U}{U}{U}
Instant
Target player draws X cards. Shuffle Blue Sun's Zenith into its owner's library.

If this spell doesn't resolve, none of its effects occur. In particular, it will go to the graveyard rather than to its owner's library.
Because you follow the spell's instructions in order, you won't be able to draw the same Blue Sun's Zenith that you cast.

Brainstorm
{U}
Instant
Draw three cards, then put two cards from your hand on top of your library in any order.

You draw three cards and put two cards back all while Brainstorm is resolving. Nothing can happen between the two, and no player may choose to take actions.

Channel
{G}{G}
Sorcery
Until end of turn, any time you could activate a mana ability, you may pay 1 life. If you do, add {C}.

Once your life total is 0, you can't pay any more life, even if you've somehow not lost the game yet.

Chaos Warp
{2}{R}
Instant
The owner of target permanent shuffles it into their library, then reveals the top card of their library. If it's a permanent card, they put it onto the battlefield.

The owner of a token is the player under whose control the token was put onto the battlefield. If a token is shuffled into a player's library this way, that player shuffles before revealing the top card of that library.
If the permanent is an illegal target by the time Chaos Warp tries to resolve, Chaos Warp won't resolve and none of its effects will occur. No library will be shuffled and no card will be revealed.
A permanent card is a card with one or more of the following card types: artifact, creature, enchantment, land, or planeswalker.
If the revealed card is a permanent card but can't enter the battlefield (perhaps because it's an Aura with nothing to enchant), it remains on top of that library.
If the revealed card is not a permanent card, it remains on top of that library.

Claim the Firstborn
{R}
Sorcery
Gain control of target creature with mana value 3 or less until end of turn. Untap that creature. It gains haste until end of turn.

Claim the Firstborn can target any creature with mana value 3 or less, even one that's untapped or one you already control.
If a creature on the battlefield has {X} in its mana cost, X is considered to be 0.
Gaining control of a creature doesn't cause you to gain control of any Auras or Equipment attached to it.

Compulsive Research
{2}{U}
Sorcery
Target player draws three cards. Then that player discards two cards unless they discard a land card.

The target player can discard either one land card or two cards which may or may not be lands. The player can discard one land and one other card or two land cards if they choose.

Cultivate
{2}{G}
Sorcery
Search your library for up to two basic land cards, reveal those cards, put one onto the battlefield tapped and the other into your hand, then shuffle.

If you choose to find only one basic land card, you put it onto the battlefield tapped.

Defiant Strike
{W}
Instant
Target creature gets +1/+0 until end of turn.
Draw a card.

If the target creature is an illegal target by the time Defiant Strike tries to resolve, the spell won't resolve. You won't draw a card.

Demonic Tutor
{1}{B}
Sorcery
Search your library for a card, put that card into your hand, then shuffle.

You don't reveal the card you find. If your opponent asks you what card you found, they are trying to trick you. Advise them not to do that. You have demons on your side.

Despark
{W}{B}
Instant
Exile target permanent with mana value 4 or greater.

If a permanent has {X} in its mana cost, X is considered to be 0.

Divine Gambit
{W}{W}
Sorcery
Exile target artifact, creature, or enchantment an opponent controls. That player may put a permanent card from their hand onto the battlefield.

A permanent card is a card with one or more of the following card types: artifact, creature, enchantment, land, or planeswalker.
If the artifact, creature, or enchantment is an illegal target as Divine Gambit tries to resolve, Divine Gambit won't resolve and none of its effects will happen. No player will put any cards onto the battlefield.
If the player chooses to put a double-faced card onto the battlefield, it enters with its front face up. They may do this only if the front face of the card is a permanent card.

Electrolyze
{1}{U}{R}
Instant
Electrolyze deals 2 damage divided as you choose among one or two targets.
Draw a card.

You divide the damage as you cast Electrolyze, not as it resolves. Each target must be assigned at least 1 damage. In other words, as you cast Electrolyze, you choose whether to have it deal 2 damage to a single target, or deal 1 damage to each of two targets.
If Electrolyze targets two creatures and one becomes an illegal target, the remaining target is dealt 1 damage, not 2. You'll still draw a card.
If all chosen targets are illegal as Electrolyze tries to resolve, it won't resolve and none of its effects will happen. No damage will be dealt and you won't draw a card.

Eliminate
{1}{B}
Instant
Destroy target creature or planeswalker with mana value 3 or less.

If a creature or planeswalker on the battlefield has {X} in its mana cost, X is considered to be 0.
The mana value of a token that isn't a copy of another object is 0. A token that is a copy of another object has the same mana cost as that object.

Ephemerate
{W}
Instant
Exile target creature you control, then return it to the battlefield under its owner's control.
Rebound (If you cast this spell from your hand, exile it as it resolves. At the beginning of your next upkeep, you may cast this card from exile without paying its mana cost.)

Once the exiled creature returns, it's considered a new object with no relation to the object that it was. Auras attached to the exiled creature will be put into their owners' graveyards. Equipment attached to the exiled creature will become unattached and remain on the battlefield. Any counters on the exiled creature will cease to exist.
If a token is exiled this way, it will cease to exist and won't return to the battlefield.
Casting Ephemerate again due to rebound's delayed triggered ability is optional. If you choose not to cast the card, or if you can't (perhaps because there are no legal targets available), the card will stay exiled. You won't get another chance to cast it on a future turn. If you do cast the card, it's put into its owner's graveyard as normal once it resolves.
If a spell with rebound that you cast from your hand is countered or doesn't resolve (most likely because its targets have become illegal), none of its effects will happen, including rebound. The spell will be put into its owner's graveyard and you won't get to cast it again on your next turn.

Faithless Looting
{R}
Sorcery
Draw two cards, then discard two cards.
Flashback {2}{R} (You may cast this card from your graveyard for its flashback cost. Then exile it.)

You draw two cards and discard two cards all while Faithless Looting is resolving. Nothing can happen between the two, and no player may choose to take actions.

Gift of Estates
{1}{W}
Sorcery
If an opponent controls more lands than you, search your library for up to three Plains cards, reveal them, put them into your hand, then shuffle.

Gift of Estates does nothing if each of your opponents has the same number of lands or fewer as you.
You can find nonbasic land cards if they have the Plains land type.

Gods Willing
{W}
Instant
Target creature you control gains protection from the color of your choice until end of turn. (It can't be blocked, targeted, dealt damage, enchanted, or equipped by anything of that color.)
Scry 1.

You choose the color as Gods Willing resolves. Once the color is chosen, it's too late for players to respond.
You can't choose "artifact" or "colorless" as Gods Willing asks you to choose a color because those are not colors.
If the target creature is an illegal target by the time Gods Willing tries to resolve, the spell doesn't resolve. You won't scry 1.
If the target creature gains protection from white from Gods Willing, Gods Willing will finish resolving as normal. You will scry 1.

Grapeshot
{1}{R}
Sorcery
Grapeshot deals 1 damage to any target.
Storm (When you cast this spell, copy it for each spell cast before it this turn. You may choose new targets for the copies.)

Each copy you create because of storm will cause your magecraft abilities to trigger.
The copies are put directly onto the stack. They aren't cast and won't be counted by other spells with storm cast later in the turn.
Spells cast from zones other than a player's hand and spells that were countered or didn't resolve are counted by the storm ability.
A copy of a spell can be countered like any other spell, but it must be countered individually. Countering a spell with storm won't affect the copies.
The triggered ability that creates the copies can itself be countered by anything that can counter a triggered ability. If it is countered, no copies will be put onto the stack.
You may choose new targets for any of the copies. You can choose differently for each copy.

Growth Spiral
{G}{U}
Instant
Draw a card. You may put a land card from your hand onto the battlefield.

Growth Spiral's effect doesn't count as playing a land. It can put a land card onto the battlefield even if it's not your turn or if you've already played your land for the turn.

Increasing Vengeance
{R}{R}
Instant
Copy target instant or sorcery spell you control. If this spell was cast from a graveyard, copy that spell twice instead. You may choose new targets for the copies.
Flashback {3}{R}{R} (You may cast this card from your graveyard for its flashback cost. Then exile it.)

If you copy the spell twice, each magecraft ability of a creature you control will trigger twice.
Increasing Vengeance can target (and copy) any instant or sorcery spell you control, not just one with targets.
When Increasing Vengeance resolves, it creates one or two copies of a spell. You control each of the copies. Those copies are created on the stack, so they're not cast. Abilities that trigger when a player casts a spell won't trigger. The copies will then resolve like normal spells, after players get a chance to cast spells and activate abilities.
Each of the copies will have the same targets as the spell it's copying unless you choose new ones. You may change any number of the targets, including all of them or none of them. If, for one of the targets, you can't choose a new legal target, then it remains unchanged (even if the current target is illegal). If there are two copies, you may change the targets of each of them to different legal targets.
If the spell Increasing Vengeance copies is modal (that is, it says "Choose one —" or the like), the copies will have the same mode(s). You can't choose different ones.
If the spell Increasing Vengeance copies has an X whose value was determined as it was cast (like Blue Sun's Zenith does), the copy has the same value of X.
You can't choose to pay any additional costs for the copies. However, effects based on any additional costs that were paid for the original spell are copied as though those same costs were paid for the copies too. For example, if you sacrifice a 3/3 creature to cast Fling and then copy it with Increasing Vengeance, the copies of Fling will also deal 3 damage to its target.

Krosan Grip
{2}{G}
Instant
Split second (As long as this spell is on the stack, players can't cast spells or activate abilities that aren't mana abilities.)
Destroy target artifact or enchantment.

Players still get priority while a card with split second is on the stack.
Split second doesn't prevent players from activating mana abilities.
Split second doesn't prevent triggered abilities from triggering. If one does, its controller puts it on the stack and chooses targets for it, if any. Those abilities will resolve as normal.
Split second doesn't prevent triggered abilities from copying spells, like that of the emblem created by Rowan, Scholar of Sparks.
Split second doesn't prevent players from performing special actions. Notably, players may turn face-down creatures face up while a spell with split second is on the stack.
Casting a spell with split second won't affect spells or abilities that are already on the stack.
If the resolution of a triggered ability involves casting a spell, that spell can't be cast if a spell with split second is on the stack.

Lightning Helix
{R}{W}
Instant
Lightning Helix deals 3 damage to any target and you gain 3 life.

If the chosen target is illegal when Lightning Helix tries to resolve, it won't resolve and none of its effects will happen. You won't gain 3 life.

Mind's Desire
{4}{U}{U}
Sorcery
Shuffle your library. Then exile the top card of your library. Until end of turn, you may play that card without paying its mana cost.
Storm (When you cast this spell, copy it for each spell cast before it this turn.)

Each copy you create because of the storm triggered ability will cause your magecraft abilities to trigger.
Although each copy of Mind's Desire instructs you to shuffle your library and exile a single card, players commonly agree to a shortcut and shuffle only once before exiling the appropriate number of cards. This shortcut should be used only if nothing happens in between each copy resolving to change the order of the library.
The cards are exiled face up.
Any cards exiled by Mind's Desire that aren't played that turn remain exiled. They won't be available to play on future turns.
The copies are put directly onto the stack. They aren't cast and won't be counted by other spells with storm cast later in the turn.
Spells cast from zones other than a player's hand and spells that were countered are counted by the storm ability.
A copy of a spell can be countered like any other spell, but it must be countered individually. Countering a spell with storm won't affect the copies.
The triggered ability that creates the copies can itself be countered by anything that can counter a triggered ability. If it is countered, no copies will be put onto the stack.

Mizzix's Mastery
{3}{R}
Sorcery
Exile target card that's an instant or sorcery from your graveyard. For each card exiled this way, copy it, and you may cast the copy without paying its mana cost. Exile Mizzix's Mastery.
Overload {5}{R}{R}{R} (You may cast this spell for its overload cost. If you do, change its text by replacing all instances of "target" with "each.")

Copying the cards doesn't cause magecraft abilities to trigger, although casting those copies does.
If Mizzix's Mastery exiled multiple cards, you may cast the copies in any order. The last copy you cast will be the first one to resolve.
If you don't cast one of the copies (perhaps because there are no legal targets available or you don't want to), the copy will cease to exist.
Mizzix's Mastery is still on the stack as it resolves. If you pay the overload cost, Mizzix's Mastery won't be exiled by the first part of the effect or copied.
The copies are created and cast during the resolution of Mizzix's Mastery. You can't wait to cast them later in the turn. Timing restrictions based on the copy's type are ignored. Other restrictions (such as "Cast [this name] only during combat") are not.
If you cast a spell "without paying its mana cost," you can't pay any alternative costs. You can, however, pay additional costs, such as kicker costs. If the card has any mandatory additional costs, you must pay those.
If the copy has {X} in its mana cost, you must choose 0 as the value of X.
The cards remain exiled no matter what happens to the copies.

Natural Order
{2}{G}{G}
Sorcery
As an additional cost to cast this spell, sacrifice a green creature.
Search your library for a green creature card, put it onto the battlefield, then shuffle.

Sacrificing a green creature is part of Natural Order's cost. You can't sacrifice more creatures to search for more creature cards, and you can't cast Natural Order at all if you control no green creatures.
Players can respond to this spell only after it's been cast and all its costs have been paid. No one can try to destroy the creature you sacrificed to stop you from casting this spell or to make you sacrifice a different one.
If an effect copies Natural Order while it is on the stack, you will not sacrifice another creature.

Primal Command
{3}{G}{G}
Sorcery
Choose two —
• Target player gains 7 life.
• Put target noncreature permanent on top of its owner's library.
• Target player shuffles their graveyard into their library.
• Search your library for a creature card, reveal it, put it into your hand, then shuffle.

Primal Command's modes are performed in the order listed. If you put a noncreature permanent on top of its owner's library and have that player shuffle their graveyard into their library, that card is shuffled away.
Primal Command won't be put into your graveyard until after it's finished resolving, which means it won't be shuffled into your library as part of its own effect if you target yourself with its third mode.
If Primal Command is cast with two targets and one of those targets illegal as it tries to resolve, it will resolve and do as much as it can to the targets that are still legal.

Strategic Planning
{1}{U}
Sorcery
Look at the top three cards of your library. Put one of them into your hand and the rest into your graveyard.

If there are fewer than three cards in your library, you look at all of them, put one of them into your hand, and put the rest into your graveyard.

Swords to Plowshares
{W}
Instant
Exile target creature. Its controller gains life equal to its power.

The amount of life gained is equal to the power of the creature as it last existed on the battlefield.
If the creature's power is negative, its controller doesn't lose or gain life.

Teferi's Protection
{2}{W}
Instant
Until your next turn, your life total can't change and you gain protection from everything. All permanents you control phase out. (While they're phased out, they're treated as though they don't exist. They phase in before you untap during your untap step.)
Exile Teferi's Protection.

---------- The following rulings focus on the "protection from everything" keyword ----------

If a player has protection from everything, it means three things: 1) All damage that would be dealt to that player is prevented. 2) Auras can't be attached to that player. 3) That player can't be the target of spells or abilities.
Nothing other than the specified events are prevented or illegal. An effect that doesn't target you could still cause you to discard cards, for example. Creatures can still attack you while you have protection from everything, although combat damage that they would deal to you will be prevented.
Gaining protection from everything causes a spell or ability on the stack to have an illegal target if it targets you. As a spell or ability tries to resolve, if all its targets are illegal, that spell or ability doesn't resolve and none of its effects happen, including effects unrelated to the target. If at least one target is still legal, the spell or ability does as much as it can to the remaining legal targets, and its other effects still happen.

---------- The following rulings focus on what it means if your life total can't change ----------

Spells and abilities that would normally cause you to gain or lose life still resolve while your life total can't change, but the life-gain or life-loss part simply has no effect.
Protection from everything will usually prevent damage if it would be dealt to you, but some damage can't be prevented. In this case, because your life total can't change, that damage will still have any other effects (such as effects from lifelink or infect) that it may have aside from causing you to lose that much life, and triggers and effects can see that damage was dealt even though your life total didn't change.
You can't pay a cost that includes the payment of any amount of life other than 0 life.
If a cost includes causing you to gain life (like the alternative cost of an opponent's Invigorate does), that cost can't be paid.
Effects that would replace having you gain life with some other event won't be able to be applied because it's impossible for you to gain life. The same is true for effects that would replace having you lose life with some other event.
Effects that replace an event with having you gain life (like Words of Worship's effect does) or having you lose life will apply and end up replacing the event with nothing.
If an effect would set your life total to a certain number that's different than your current life total, that part of the effect won't do anything.
If an effect would cause you to exchange life totals with another player, the exchange won't happen. Neither player's life total changes.

---------- The following rulings focus on the phasing keyword ----------

While a permanent is phased out, it's treated as though it doesn't exist. It can't be the target of spells or abilities, its static abilities have no effect on the game, its triggered abilities can't trigger, it can't attack or block, and so on.
Phasing out doesn't cause any "leaves the battlefield" abilities to trigger. Similarly, phasing in won't cause any "enters the battlefield" abilities to trigger.
Any one-shot effects that are waiting "until [this] leaves the battlefield," such as that of Banishing Light, won't happen when a permanent phases out.
Any continuous effects with a "for as long as" duration such as that of Mathas, Fiend Seeker ignore phased-out objects. Any such effects will expire if their conditions are no longer met after ignoring the phased-out objects.
Each Aura and Equipment that phases out attached to a permanent that's phasing out phases in with that permanent and still attached to it.
Each Aura and Equipment you control attached to a permanent that isn't phasing out phases in attached to that permanent if it can still be attached to that permanent. If not, it phases in unattached. An Aura that phases in unattached will be put into its owner's graveyard as a state-based action. The same is true with Auras attached to players.
Permanents that phase out with counters phase in with those counters.
Choices made for permanents as they entered the battlefield are remembered when they phase in.
If a token is phased out, it will phase in as your next untap step begins.
A permanent phasing out causes a spell or ability on the stack to have an illegal target if it targets that permanent. As a spell or ability tries to resolve, if all its targets are illegal, that spell or ability doesn't resolve and none of its effects happen, including effects unrelated to the target. If at least one target is still legal, the spell or ability does as much as it can to the remaining legal targets, and its other effects still happen.
If your untap step is somehow skipped as your next turn begins, your phased-out permanents won't phase in until the next untap step you actually have, but you'll no longer have protection from everything and your life total can change again.
Any creatures that phase in under your control as your next untap step begins will be able to attack and pay a cost of {T} during that turn.
If you gain control of another player's permanent and it phases out, if the duration of the control-change effect expires before it phases in, that permanent phases in under that other player's control as your next untap step begins. If you leave the game before your next untap step, it phases in as the next untap step begins after your turn would have begun.

Tendrils of Agony
{2}{B}{B}
Sorcery
Target player loses 2 life and you gain 2 life.
Storm (When you cast this spell, copy it for each spell cast before it this turn. You may choose new targets for the copies.)

Each copy you create because of storm will cause your magecraft abilities to trigger.
The copies are put directly onto the stack. They aren't cast and won't be counted by other spells with storm cast later in the turn.
Spells cast from zones other than a player's hand and spells that were countered are counted by the storm ability.
A copy of a spell can be countered like any other spell, but it must be countered individually. Countering a spell with storm won't affect the copies.
The triggered ability that creates the copies can itself be countered by anything that can counter a triggered ability. If it is countered, no copies will be put onto the stack.
You may choose new targets for any of the copies. You can choose differently for each copy.

Tezzeret's Gambit
{3}{u/p}
Sorcery
({u/p} can be paid with either {U} or 2 life.)
Draw two cards, then proliferate. (Choose any number of permanents and/or players, then give each another counter of each kind already there.)

A card with Phyrexian mana symbols in its mana cost is each color that appears in that mana cost, regardless of how that cost may have been paid.
To calculate the mana value of a card with Phyrexian mana symbols in its cost, count each Phyrexian mana symbol as 1. Tezzeret's Gambit always has mana value 4.
As you cast a spell with one or more Phyrexian mana symbols in its cost, you choose how to pay for each Phyrexian mana symbol at the same time you would choose modes or choose a value for X.
If you're at 1 life or less, you can't pay 2 life.
Phyrexian mana is not a color. Players can't add Phyrexian mana.

Thrill of Possibility
{1}{R}
Instant
As an additional cost to cast this spell, discard a card.
Draw two cards.

You must discard exactly one card to cast Thrill of Possibility; you can't cast it without discarding a card, and you can't discard additional cards.

Time Warp
{3}{U}{U}
Sorcery
Target player takes an extra turn after this one.

If multiple "extra turn" effects resolve in the same turn, they are taken in the reverse of the order that the effects resolved.

Urza's Rage
{2}{R}
Instant
Kicker {8}{R} (You may pay an additional {8}{R} as you cast this spell.)
This spell can't be countered.
Urza's Rage deals 3 damage to any target. If this spell was kicked, instead it deals 10 damage to that permanent or player and the damage can't be prevented.

A spell or ability that counters spells can still target Urza's Rage. When that spell or ability resolves, Urza's Rage won't be countered, but any additional effects of that spell or ability will still happen.
If the target for Urza's Rage becomes an illegal target, the spell won't resolve and will be put into its owner's graveyard with no effect. This is true even if its damage can't be prevented and even though it can't be countered.

Village Rites
{B}
Instant
As an additional cost to cast this spell, sacrifice a creature.
Draw two cards.

You must sacrifice exactly one creature to cast this spell; you can't cast it without sacrificing a creature, and you can't sacrifice additional creatures.

Weather the Storm
{1}{G}
Instant
You gain 3 life.
Storm (When you cast this spell, copy it for each spell cast before it this turn.)

Each copy you create because of storm will cause your magecraft abilities to trigger.
The copies are put directly onto the stack. They aren't cast and won't be counted by other spells with storm cast later in the turn.
Spells cast from zones other than a player's hand and spells that were countered are counted by the storm ability.
A copy of a spell can be countered like any other spell, but it must be countered individually. Countering a spell with storm won't affect the copies.
The triggered ability that creates the copies can itself be countered by anything that can counter a triggered ability. If it is countered, no copies will be put onto the stack.

Whirlwind Denial
{2}{U}
Instant
For each spell and ability your opponents control, counter it unless its controller pays {4}.

Among abilities, only activated and triggered abilities use the stack. Activated abilities are written in the form "[Cost]: [Effect]." Triggered abilities use the word "when," "whenever," or "at." They're often written as "[Trigger condition], [effect]." Some keyword abilities are activated abilities and will have colons in their reminder texts, and some keyword abilities are triggered abilities and will have "when," "whenever," or "at" in their reminder texts.
As Whirlwind Denial resolves, first the opponent whose turn it is (or, if it's your turn, the next opponent in turn order) chooses which spells and/or abilities to pay for, then pays that amount. Then each other opponent in turn order does the same. Then all spells and abilities that weren't paid for are countered at the same time.

STRIXHAVEN COMMANDER CARD-SPECIFIC NOTES

Alibou, Ancient Witness
{3}{R}{W}
Legendary Artifact Creature — Golem
4/5
Other artifact creatures you control have haste.
Whenever one or more artifact creatures you control attack, Alibou, Ancient Witness deals X damage to any target and you scry X, where X is the number of tapped artifacts you control.

If Alibou leaves the battlefield, artifact creatures you control lose haste. If they haven't been under your control since the turn began and don't otherwise have haste, they can't attack that turn. If they've already attacked, losing haste won't remove them from combat and they'll remain attackers.
You choose a target as Alibou's triggered ability is put on the stack. If that target isn't legal as the triggered ability tries to resolve, it doesn't resolve and you don't scry.
If you control no tapped artifacts when the triggered ability resolves (perhaps because they were destroyed or had vigilance), no damage will be dealt and you won't scry.

Archaeomancer's Map
{2}{W}
Artifact
When Archaeomancer's Map enters the battlefield, search your library for up to two basic Plains cards, reveal them, put them into your hand, then shuffle.
Whenever a land enters the battlefield under an opponent's control, if that player controls more lands than you, you may put a land card from your hand onto the battlefield.

The last ability triggers only if that opponent controls more lands than you after the land enters the battlefield. The ability will check again as it tries to resolve. If that opponent doesn't still control more lands than you at that time, the ability won't resolve.

Battlemage's Bracers
{2}{R}
Artifact — Equipment
Equipped creature has haste.
Whenever an ability of equipped creature is activated, if it isn't a mana ability, you may pay {1}. If you do, copy that ability. You may choose new targets for the copy.
Equip {2}

Activated abilities contain a colon. They're generally written "[Cost]: [Effect]." Some keyword abilities (such as boast) are activated abilities and will have colons in their reminder text. An activated mana ability is one that produces mana as it resolves, not one that costs mana to activate.
Copying abilities doesn't cause magecraft abilities to trigger.
The copy will have the same targets as the ability it's copying unless you choose new ones. You may change any number of the targets, including all of them or none of them. If, for one of the targets, you can't choose a new legal target, then it remains unchanged (even if the current target is illegal).
If the ability is modal (that is, it has a bulleted list of modes), the copy will have the same mode(s). You can't choose new ones.
If the ability has {X} in its activation cost, the copy has the same value of X.

Blossoming Bogbeast
{4}{G}
Creature — Beast
3/3
Whenever Blossoming Bogbeast attacks, you gain 2 life. Then creatures you control gain trample and get +X/+X until end of turn, where X is the amount of life you gained this turn.

This ability counts the total amount of life gained without considering any life you lost during that turn. For example, if you lost 3 life and gained 3 life earlier in the turn, you'll gain 2 more life from Blossoming Bogbeast and creatures you control will get +5/+5.

Bold Plagiarist
{3}{B}
Creature — Vampire Rogue
2/2
Flash
Whenever an opponent puts one or more counters on a creature they control, they put the same number and kind of counters on Bold Plagiarist.

Your opponent places the counters on both permanents. Therefore, if they also control a Bold Plagiarist, its ability will not trigger.

Breena, the Demagogue
{1}{W}{B}
Legendary Creature — Bird Warlock
1/3
Flying
Whenever a player attacks one of your opponents, if that opponent has more life than another of your opponents, that attacking player draws a card and you put two +1/+1 counters on a creature you control.

If the attacking player is one of your opponents and has less life than the player being attacked, then the condition is satisfied.
Breena's triggered ability will trigger even if you control no creatures.
You choose which creature to put +1/+1 counters on as the ability is resolving. Once you make the choice, no player may take actions until the counters are placed.

Bronze Guardian
{4}{W}
Artifact Creature — Golem
*/5
Double strike
Ward {2} (Whenever this creature becomes the target of a spell or ability an opponent controls, counter it unless that player pays {2}.)
Other artifacts you control have ward {2}.
Bronze Guardian's power is equal to the number of artifacts you control.

Once a ward ability has triggered, it doesn't matter if the artifact loses ward (most likely because Bronze Guardian leaves the battlefield in response) before the ability resolves. The controller of the spell or ability will still have to pay {2} or the spell or ability will be countered.
The ability that defines Bronze Guardian's power applies in all zones, not only while it is on the battlefield.

Cunning Rhetoric
{2}{B}
Enchantment
Whenever an opponent attacks you and/or one or more planeswalkers you control, exile the top card of that player's library. You may play that card for as long as it remains exiled, and you may spend mana as though it were mana of any color to cast it.

You must follow the normal timing permissions and restrictions for the exiled card. If it's a land, you can't play it unless you have land plays available.
You'll still pay all costs for a spell cast this way, including additional costs. You may also pay alternative costs if any are available.
If you play a card this way, it leaves exile and becomes a new object. If it returns to exile later in the turn, you can't play it again.

Cursed Mirror
{2}{R}
Artifact
{T}: Add {R}.
As Cursed Mirror enters the battlefield, you may have it become a copy of any creature on the battlefield until end of turn, except it has haste.

Any enters-the-battlefield abilities of the copied creature will trigger when Cursed Mirror enters the battlefield. Any "As [this creature] enters the battlefield" or "[This creature] enters the battlefield with" abilities of the copied creature will also work.
While it is copying a creature, Cursed Mirror does not have "{T}: Add {R}" (unless the creature it's copying also has that ability).
If something else becomes a copy of Cursed Mirror while Cursed Mirror is a copy of a creature, the duration of the effect is not copied. The new copy will still be a creature (with haste) after Cursed Mirror stops being a copy at the end of the turn.
Cursed Mirror copies exactly what was printed on the original creature (unless that creature is copying something else or is a token; see below). It doesn't copy whether that creature is tapped or untapped, whether it has any counters on it or any Auras or Equipment attached to it, or any non-copy effects that have changed its types, color, power and toughness, and so on.
If the copied creature has {X} in its mana cost, X is considered to be 0.
If the copied creature is copying something else, then Cursed Mirror enters the battlefield as a copy of whatever that creature is copying.
If the copied creature is a token, Cursed Mirror copies the original characteristics of that token as stated by the effect that created the token. Copying a token doesn't make Cursed Mirror a token. Similarly, if Cursed Mirror itself is a token, copying a nontoken permanent doesn't make it stop being a token.
If Cursed Mirror somehow enters the battlefield at the same time as a creature, it can't become a copy of that creature. You may choose only a creature that's already on the battlefield.

Dazzling Sphinx
{3}{U}{U}
Creature — Sphinx
4/5
Flying
Whenever Dazzling Sphinx deals combat damage to a player, that player exiles cards from the top of their library until they exile an instant or sorcery card. You may cast that card without paying its mana cost. Then that player puts the exiled cards that weren't cast this way on the bottom of their library in a random order.

Dazzling Sphinx's triggered ability lets you cast the exiled card during the resolution of the ability. It doesn't allow you to wait and cast the card later.
You may choose not to cast the instant or sorcery card that you exiled. In that case, it will be put on the bottom of the library with the rest of the exiled cards.
If the exiled instant or sorcery card has an {X} in its mana cost, you must choose 0 as the value of {X}.

Digsite Engineer
{2}{W}
Creature — Dwarf Artificer
3/3
Whenever you cast an artifact spell, you may pay {2}. If you do, create a 0/0 colorless Construct artifact creature token with "This creature gets +1/+1 for each artifact you control."

The token gets created before the artifact spell that triggered its creation resolves. Fortunately, the token counts itself, so it's at least 1/1.

Elementalist's Palette
{3}
Artifact
Whenever you cast a spell with {X} in its mana cost, put two charge counters on Elementalist's Palette.
{T}: Add one mana of any color.
{T}: Add {C} for each charge counter on Elementalist's Palette. Spend this mana only on costs that contain {X}.

If you cast a spell with multiple {X} mana symbols in its cost, the first ability triggers only once.
The mana added by the last ability can be used only to pay costs with at least one {X}, but it can be used to pay for any part of that cost, not just the {X}. That {X} could be in a spell's total cost, an ability's activation cost, or a cost you're asked to pay as a spell or ability resolves.
The mana added by the last ability doesn't all have to spent on the same cost.

Esix, Fractal Bloom
{4}{G}{U}
Legendary Creature — Fractal
4/4
Flying
The first time you would create one or more tokens during each of your turns, you may instead choose a creature other than Esix, Fractal Bloom and create that many tokens that are copies of that creature.

This effect applies before anything that modifies how those tokens enter the battlefield.
This effect can apply to any token, not just creature tokens. For example, you could replace creating a Treasure token with creating a copy of the chosen creature.
If you choose a legendary creature, the copies will also be legendary. If this results in you controlling more than one legendary permanent with the same name, you'll put all but one of them into their owner's graveyard.
If you choose not to apply the replacement effect, you will not get the choice to apply it again until your next turn.
If you create one or more tokens during your turn, and then Esix comes under your control, the replacement effect won't apply to any tokens you create the rest of the turn. You'll have to wait until your next turn.

Essence Pulse
{3}{B}
Sorcery
You gain 2 life. Each creature gets -X/-X until end of turn, where X is the amount of life you gained this turn.

This ability counts the total amount of life gained without considering any life you lost during that turn. For example, if you lost 3 life and gained 3 life earlier in the turn, you will gain 2 more life from Essence Pulse and each creature will get -5/-5.

Ezzaroot Channeler
{5}{G}
Creature — Treefolk Druid
4/6
Reach
Creature spells you cast cost {X} less to cast, where X is the amount of life you gained this turn.
{T}: You gain 2 life.

Ezzaroot Channeler's second ability counts the total amount of life gained without considering any life you lost during that turn. For example, if you lost 3 life and gained 4 life earlier in the turn, creature spells you cast will cost {4} less.
To determine the total cost of a spell, start with the mana cost or alternative cost you're paying, add any cost increases, then apply any cost reductions (such as that of Ezzaroot Channeler's second ability). The mana value of the spell is determined only by its mana cost, no matter what the total cost to cast the spell was.
The second ability's cost reduction can reduce only generic mana in a spell's total cost. It can't reduce colored mana requirements.

Felisa, Fang of Silverquill
{2}{W}{B}
Legendary Creature — Vampire Wizard
3/2
Flying
Mentor (Whenever this creature attacks, put a +1/+1 counter on target attacking creature with lesser power.)
Whenever a nontoken creature you control dies, if it had counters on it, create X tapped 2/1 white and black Inkling creature tokens with flying, where X is the number of counters it had on it.

The last ability counts the number of all kinds of counters, not just +1/+1 counters.
Mentor compares the power of the creature with mentor with that of the target creature at two different times: once as the triggered ability is put onto the stack, and once as the triggered ability resolves. If you wish to raise a creature's power so its mentor ability can target a bigger creature, the last chance you have to do so is during the beginning of combat step.
If the target creature's power is no longer less than the attacking creature's power as the ability resolves, mentor doesn't add a +1/+1 counter. For example, if two 3/3 creatures with mentor attack and both mentor triggers target the same 2/2 creature, the first to resolve puts a +1/+1 counter on it and the second does nothing.
If the creature with mentor leaves the battlefield with mentor on the stack, use its power as that creature last existed on the battlefield to determine whether the target creature has less power.

Fiery Encore
{4}{R}
Sorcery
Discard a card, then draw a card. When you discard a nonland card this way, Fiery Encore deals damage equal to that card's mana value to target creature or planeswalker.
Storm (When you cast this spell, copy it for each spell cast before it this turn.)

Each copy you create because of storm will cause your magecraft abilities to trigger.
Each copy will resolve one at a time. As each copy resolves, if you discarded a nonland card, the reflexive triggered ability triggers and you pick a target to be dealt damage. That ability will resolve before you deal with the next copy of Fiery Encore.
If you have no cards in hand as Fiery Encore resolves, you won't be able to discard a card, but you will draw a card. No damage will be dealt.

Fractal Harness
{X}{2}{G}
Artifact — Equipment
When Fractal Harness enters the battlefield, create a 0/0 green and blue Fractal creature token. Put X +1/+1 counters on it and attach Fractal Harness to it.
Whenever equipped creature attacks, double the number of +1/+1 counters on it.
Equip {2}

To double the number of +1/+1 counters on a permanent, put a number of +1/+1 counters on it equal to the number it already has. Other cards that interact with putting counters on it will interact with this effect accordingly.
If you put Fractal Harness onto the battlefield without casting it, or if you choose 0 as the value of X, the token you create will be 0/0. Unless something else is raising its toughness, that token will enter the battlefield and die before you could take any actions.

Guardian Archon
{4}{W}{W}
Creature — Archon
5/5
Flying
As Guardian Archon enters the battlefield, secretly choose an opponent.
Reveal the player you chose: You and target permanent you control each gain protection from the chosen player until end of turn. Activate only once.

In a two-player game, the chosen player won't be much of a secret.
There are several ways to secretly choose an opponent. Perhaps the most popular way is to write the chosen player's name on a piece of paper that is kept with Guardian Archon.
If you control more than one Guardian Archon, you may choose a different opponent for each one. Be careful to keep track of which opponent is chosen for each Guardian Archon.
If Guardian Archon leaves the battlefield and returns, it's considered a new object. You may choose a new opponent and you may activate its last ability again.
If you didn't choose an opponent as Guardian Archon entered the battlefield, you can't pay the cost to activate the last ability. This will usually happen because you gained control of another player's Guardian Archon or because a creature already on the battlefield became a copy of Guardian Archon.
Protection from a player means all of the following: (1) Neither you nor the target permanent can be the target of spells or abilities controlled by the chosen player. (2) Neither you nor the target permanent can be enchanted or equipped by any Auras or Equipment controlled by the chosen players. (Okay, Fortifications too, if the target permanent is a land.) (3) If the target permanent is a creature, it can't be blocked by creatures controlled by the chosen player. (4) All damage that would be dealt to you or the target permanent by sources controlled by the chosen player is prevented. The same is true for sources owned by the chosen player that don't have controllers.

Guardian Augmenter
{2}{G}
Creature — Troll Wizard
2/2
Flash
Commander creatures you control get +2/+2.
Commanders you control have hexproof.

These effects apply to any commanders you control, not just your own commander.
Being a commander is not a copiable characteristic; these effects do not apply to copies of a player's commander.

Gyome, Master Chef
{2}{B}{G}
Legendary Creature — Troll Warlock
5/3
Trample
At the beginning of your end step, create a number of Food tokens equal to the number of nontoken creatures you had enter the battlefield under your control this turn.
{1}, Sacrifice a Food: Target creature gains indestructible until end of turn. Tap it.

Gyome, Master Chef's second ability counts all nontoken creatures that entered the battlefield under your control this turn, even if some or all of those creatures are no longer on the battlefield, no longer creatures, or no longer under your control.
The second ability will count Gyome itself on the turn it enters the battlefield.
You can activate the last ability even if the creature is already tapped.

Incarnation Technique
{4}{B}
Sorcery
Demonstrate (When you cast this spell, you may copy it. If you do, choose an opponent to also copy it.)
Mill five cards, then return a creature card from your graveyard to the battlefield.

You choose which creature to bring back after you mill five cards.
You may choose any creature card in your graveyard, not just one that you milled this way.

Inkshield
{3}{W}{B}
Instant
Prevent all combat damage that would be dealt to you this turn. For each 1 damage prevented this way, create a 2/1 white and black Inkling creature token with flying.

If multiple damage prevention effects would apply to combat damage that would be dealt to you, you get to choose the order the prevention effects are applied in.

Inspiring Refrain
{4}{U}{U}
Sorcery
Draw two cards. Exile Inspiring Refrain with three time counters on it.
Suspend 3—{2}{U} (Rather than cast this card from your hand, you may pay {2}{U} and exile it with three time counters on it. At the beginning of your upkeep, remove a time counter. When the last is removed, cast it without paying its mana cost.)

You can exile a card in your hand using suspend any time you could cast that card. Consider its card type, any effect that affects when you could cast it (such as flash) and any other effects that could stop you from casting it (such as Revel in Silence's effect) to determine if and when you can do this. Whether or not you could actually complete all steps in casting the card is irrelevant. For example, you can exile a card with suspend that has no mana cost or requires a target even if no legal targets are available at that time.
Exiling a card with suspend isn't casting that card. This action doesn't use the stack and can't be responded to.
If the first triggered ability of suspend (the one that removes time counters) is countered, no time counter is removed. The ability will trigger again during the card's owner's next upkeep.
When the last time counter is removed, the second triggered ability of suspend will trigger. It doesn't matter why the last time counter was removed or what effect removed it.
If the second triggered ability of suspend (the one that lets you cast the card) is countered, the card can't be cast. It remains exiled with no time counters on it, and it's no longer suspended.
As the second triggered ability resolves, you must cast the card if able. Timing restrictions based on the card's type are ignored.
If you can't cast the card for any reason, it remains exiled with no time counters on it, and it's no longer suspended.

Laelia, the Blade Reforged
{2}{R}
Legendary Creature — Spirit Warrior
2/2
Haste
Whenever Laelia, the Blade Reforged attacks, exile the top card of your library. You may play that card this turn.
Whenever a spell or ability you control exiles one or more cards from your library and/or your graveyard, put a +1/+1 counter on Laelia.

Laelia, the Blade Reforged has received an update to its Oracle text. The official text is listed above. Specifically, the second triggered ability doesn't care that you are the player taking the action of exiling the cards, only that you control the spell or ability that's exiling them.
Cards exiled by Laelia, the Blade Reforged are exiled face up.
You must follow the normal timing permissions and restrictions while playing the exiled card. If it's a land, you can't play it unless you have land plays available.
You'll still pay all costs for a spell cast this way, including additional costs. You may also pay alternative costs if any are available.
If you play a card this way, it leaves exile and becomes a new object. If it returns to exile later in the turn, you can't play it again.

Marshland Bloodcaster
{4}{B}
Creature — Vampire Warlock
3/5
Flying
{1}{B}, {T}: Rather than pay the mana cost of the next spell you cast this turn, you may pay life equal to that spell's mana value.

If you cast a spell for another cost "rather than pay its mana cost," you can't choose to cast it for any alternative costs. You can, however, pay additional costs. If the card has any mandatory additional costs, such as that of Draconic Intervention, those must be paid to cast the card.
If the next spell you cast has {X} in its mana cost, you must choose 0 as the value of X if you pay life rather than pay its mana cost.
Marshland Bloodcaster's ability affects the next spell you cast after the ability has resolved. If you cast any spells in response to the ability, those spells are cast as normal.
Even after the ability resolves, you may choose to not pay life rather than pay mana cost of the next spell you cast that turn. However, if you do this, you won't have the opportunity to pay life for any other spells you cast that turn (unless you activate the ability again).

Monologue Tax
{2}{W}
Enchantment
Whenever an opponent casts their second spell each turn, you create a Treasure token.

Nothing special happens on the third spell, fourth spell, and so on.
The ability can trigger once each turn for each opponent.
It doesn't matter if Monologue Tax was on the battlefield for the first spell. It also doesn't matter if that first spell resolved or not.

Muse Vortex
{X}{U}{U}
Sorcery
Exile the top X cards of your library. You may cast an instant or sorcery spell with mana value X or less from among them without paying its mana cost. Then put the exiled instant and sorcery cards that weren't cast this way into your hand and the rest on the bottom of your library in a random order.

If you cast a spell with {X} in its cost without paying its mana cost, you must choose 0 as the value of X.
You don't have to cast an instant or sorcery spell this way. If you don't, all exiled instant or sorcery cards will be put into your hand.

Nils, Discipline Enforcer
{2}{W}
Legendary Creature — Human Cleric
2/2
At the beginning of your end step, for each player, put a +1/+1 counter on up to one target creature that player controls.
Each creature with one or more counters on it can't attack you or planeswalkers you control unless its controller pays {X}, where X is the number of counters on that creature.

For each player, choosing a target creature that player controls is optional.
All counters on a creature are considered when determining the value of X, not only +1/+1 counters.
Your opponents can choose not to pay to attack with a creature with one or more counters on it that attacks "if able." If there's no other player or planeswalker to attack, the creature simply doesn't attack.

Oversimplify
{3}{G}{U}
Sorcery
Exile all creatures. Each player creates a 0/0 green and blue Fractal creature token and puts a number of +1/+1 counters on it equal to the total power of creatures they controlled that were exiled this way.

Oversimplify counts the total power of the creatures as they last existed on the battlefield, not the power of those cards in exile.
If a commander is exiled this way, its power will be counted along with the other creatures. Once Oversimplify finishes resolving, that commander's owner may move it to the command zone.

Perplexing Test
{3}{U}{U}
Instant
Choose one —
• Return all creature tokens to their owners' hands.
• Return all nontoken creatures to their owners' hands.

A token that is returned to its owner's hand ceases to exist as a state-based action the next time a player would receive priority.

Pest Infestation
{X}{X}{G}
Sorcery
Destroy up to X target artifacts and/or enchantments. Create twice X 1/1 black and green Pest creature tokens with "When this creature dies, you gain 1 life."

The number of Pests created is equal to twice the chosen value of X, no matter how many artifacts and enchantments were destroyed.
If any artifacts or enchantments were chosen as targets, and all of them are illegal targets as Pest Infestation tries to resolve, it won't resolve and none of its effects will happen. No Pests will be created.

Promise of Loyalty
{4}{W}
Sorcery
Each player puts a vow counter on a creature they control and sacrifices the rest. Each of those creatures can't attack you or planeswalkers you control for as long as it has a vow counter on it.

Each player, including you, must put a vow counter on a creature they control if able. They can't choose to opt out and sacrifice all of their creatures. The creature you put a vow counter on will remember its promise if another player gains control of it.
If the vow counter is removed from the creature, it can attack as normal.
If the vow counter is moved to another creature, it won't prevent the second creature from attacking normally.

Radiant Performer
{3}{R}{R}
Creature — Human Wizard
2/2
Flash
When Radiant Performer enters the battlefield, if you cast it from your hand, choose target spell or ability that targets only a single permanent or player. Copy that spell or ability for each other permanent or player the spell or ability could target. Each copy targets a different one of those permanents and players.

You copy the spell or ability for every permanent or player it could target. That is, you don't choose either permanents or players and then make copies based on that.
You can choose a spell or ability with multiple targets as long as all of those targets are the same permanent or player.
You control all the copies, and you'll choose which copy targets which permanent or player. For example, if the original spell says, "Destroy target creature," you'll ultimately choose the order in which each creature targeted by a copy is destroyed. Remember that the original spell or ability will resolve after all of the copies.
Each copy you create will cause your magecraft abilities to trigger.

Reinterpret
{2}{U}{R}
Instant
Counter target spell. You may cast a spell with an equal or lesser mana value from your hand without paying its mana cost.

If a spell with {X} in its mana cost is countered this way, {X} is the value chosen as the spell was cast.
This can be used to cast either face of a modal double-faced card, but only if the face you are casting has an equal or lesser mana value than the target spell.
If you target a spell that can't be countered, like Heated Debate, you won't counter the spell, but you will get to cast a spell with an equal or lesser mana value.
If you cast a spell "without paying its mana cost," you can't pay any alternative costs. You can, however, pay additional costs, such as kicker costs. If the card has any mandatory additional costs, you must pay those.
If the spell you cast has {X} in its mana cost, you must choose 0 as the value of X.

Revival Experiment
{4}{B}{G}
Sorcery
For each permanent type, return up to one card of that type from your graveyard to the battlefield. You lose 3 life for each card returned this way. Exile Revival Experiment.

The permanent types are artifact, creature, enchantment, land, and planeswalker. Things like "legendary" or "snow" are supertypes, not types.
The cards you return are chosen as Revival Experiment resolves. No player can respond to those choices.

Rionya, Fire Dancer
{3}{R}{R}
Legendary Creature — Human Wizard
3/4
At the beginning of combat on your turn, create X tokens that are copies of another target creature you control, where X is one plus the number of instant and sorcery spells you've cast this turn. They gain haste. Exile them at the beginning of the next end step.

The triggered ability counts all instants and sorceries that were cast before it resolves. If you cast instant spells in response to the ability, those spells will count.
The tokens copy exactly what is printed on the creature and nothing else (unless that creature is a token or is copying something else; see below). They don't copy whether that creature is tapped or untapped, whether it has any counters on it or Auras and/or Equipment attached to it, or any non-copy effects that changed its power, toughness, types, color, and so on.
If the copied creature is itself a token, the tokens created by Rionya copy the original characteristics of that token as stated by the effect that created it.
If the copied creature is copying something else, the tokens enter the battlefield as whatever that creature is copying.
If the copied creature has {X} in its mana cost, X is 0.
Any enters-the-battlefield abilities of the copied creature will trigger when the tokens enter the battlefield. Any "As [this creature] enters the battlefield" or "[This creature] enters the battlefield with" abilities of the copied creature will also work.

Rousing Refrain
{3}{R}{R}
Sorcery
Add {R} for each card in target opponent's hand. Until end of turn, you don't lose this mana as steps and phases end. Exile Rousing Refrain with three time counters on it.
Suspend 3—{1}{R} (Rather than cast this card from your hand, you may pay {1}{R} and exile it with three time counters on it. At the beginning of your upkeep, remove a time counter. When the last is removed, cast it without paying its mana cost.)

You can exile a card in your hand using suspend any time you could cast that card. Consider its card type, any effect that affects when you could cast it (such as flash) and any other effects that could stop you from casting it (such as Revel in Silence's effect) to determine if and when you can do this. Whether or not you could actually complete all steps in casting the card is irrelevant. For example, you can exile a card with suspend that has no mana cost or requires a target even if no legal targets are available at that time.
Exiling a card with suspend isn't casting that card. This action doesn't use the stack and can't be responded to.
If the spell requires any targets, those targets are chosen when the spell is finally cast, not when it's exiled.
If the first triggered ability of suspend (the one that removes time counters) is countered, no time counter is removed. The ability will trigger again during the card's owner's next upkeep.
When the last time counter is removed, the second triggered ability of suspend will trigger. It doesn't matter why the last time counter was removed or what effect removed it.
If the second triggered ability of suspend (the one that lets you cast the card) is countered, the card can't be cast. It remains exiled with no time counters on it, and it's no longer suspended.
As the second triggered ability resolves, you must cast the card if able. Timing restrictions based on the card's type are ignored.
If you can't cast the card, perhaps because there are no legal targets available, it remains exiled with no time counters on it, and it's no longer suspended.

Ruin Grinder
{5}{R}
Artifact Creature — Construct
7/4
Menace
When Ruin Grinder dies, each player may discard their hand and draw seven cards.
Mountaincycling {2} ({2}, Discard this card: Search your library for a Mountain card, reveal it, put it into your hand, then shuffle.)

Players decide and announce in turn order, starting with the active player, whether or not they want to discard their hand. Then, all players who chose to do so discard their hands and draw seven cards. Players later in the turn order will know if players before them are discarding, but they don't get to see what those players will discard to help them decide whether to discard themselves.

Ruxa, Patient Professor
{2}{G}{G}
Legendary Creature — Bear Druid
4/4
Whenever Ruxa, Patient Professor enters the battlefield or attacks, return target creature card with no abilities from your graveyard to your hand.
Creatures you control with no abilities get +1/+1.
You may have creatures you control with no abilities assign their combat damage as though they weren't blocked.

A creature or creature card with no abilities is one with no rules text at all. This includes true vanilla creatures (including Grizzly Bears, Runeclaw Bear, Bear Cub, and other adorable bear students), face-down creatures, many tokens, and creatures that have lost their abilities. Abilities that function only in zones other than the battlefield count. For example, a creature with cycling {2} is not a creature with no abilities.
Notably, neither of Ruxa's last two abilities give any creatures an ability.
Auras and Equipment that grant abilities will use the words "gains" or "has," and they'll list a keyword ability or an ability in quotation marks. A creature with no abilities affected by such an Aura or Equipment would no longer get the +1/+1 bonus or be able to assign combat damage as though it weren't blocked. If the Aura or Equipment does not give the creature any abilities, the creature will continue to benefit from Ruxa's last two abilities.
For each attacking creature you control with no abilities, you decide whether it will assign combat damage to the blocking creatures or if it will assign combat damage to the player or planeswalker it's attacking. You can't split damage assignment between them. You make this decision individually for each qualifying creature just before it deals combat damage.

Scholarship Sponsor
{3}{W}
Creature — Human Advisor
3/3
When Scholarship Sponsor enters the battlefield, each player who controls fewer lands than the player who controls the most lands searches their library for a number of basic land cards less than or equal to the difference, puts those cards onto the battlefield tapped, then shuffles.

For example, if you control four lands, one opponent controls six lands, and another opponent controls seven lands, you will search your library for up to three basic land cards and the first opponent will search their library for one basic land card. The second opponent won't search their library at all.

Sly Instigator
{3}{U}
Creature — Human Wizard
2/4
{U}, {T}: Until your next turn, target creature an opponent controls can't be blocked. Goad that creature. (Until your next turn, that creature attacks each combat if able and attacks a player other than you if able.)

Once a creature an opponent controls has been legally blocked, activating Sly Instigator's ability won't change or undo that block.
If a goaded creature can't attack for any reason (such as being tapped or having come under that player's control that turn), then it doesn't attack. If there's a cost associated with having it attack, its controller isn't forced to pay that cost, so it doesn't have to attack in that case either.
If a goaded creature doesn't meet any of the above exceptions and can attack, it must attack a player other than a player who goaded it if able. It the creature can't attack any of those players but could otherwise attack, it must attack an opposing planeswalker (controlled by any opponent) or a player who goaded it.
Attacking with a goaded creature doesn't cause it to stop being goaded.
Being goaded more than once by the same player is redundant.
If you goad a creature you control, it must attack, and it must attack a player rather than a planeswalker.
If a creature you control has been goaded by multiple opponents, it must attack one of your opponents who hasn't goaded it. If a creature you control has been goaded by each of your opponents, you choose which opponent it attacks.
If you leave the game, any creatures you've goaded remain goaded until your next turn would have begun. They don't immediately stop being goaded and don't remain goaded indefinitely.

Sproutback Trudge
{7}{G}{G}
Creature — Fungus Beast
9/7
This spell costs {X} less to cast, where X is the amount of life you gained this turn.
Trample
At the beginning of your end step, if you gained life this turn, you may cast Sproutback Trudge from your graveyard.

Sproutback Trudge's ability counts the total amount of life gained without considering any life you lost during that turn. For example, if you lost 3 life and gained 4 life earlier in the turn, Sproutback Trudge will cost {3}{G}{G}.
To determine the total cost of a spell, start with the mana cost or alternative cost you're paying, add any cost increases, then apply any cost reductions (such as that of Sproutback Trudge's first ability). Sproutback Trudge's mana value is always 9, no matter what the total cost to cast the spell was.
The cost reduction can reduce only generic mana in a spell's total cost. It can't reduce the cost to cast Sproutback Trudge beyond {G}{G}.
You still need to pay the cost to cast Sproutback Trudge from your graveyard.
You need to gain life before the end step begins for the last ability to trigger.

Stinging Study
{4}{B}
Instant
You draw X cards and you lose X life, where X is the mana value of a commander you own on the battlefield or in the command zone.

If your commander is under the control of another player as Stinging Study resolves, it is still on the battlefield and will still be used to determine the value of X.
If you own multiple commanders on the battlefield and/or in the command zone, you choose one of them as Stinging Study resolves to determine the value of X.

Surge to Victory
{4}{R}{R}
Sorcery
Exile target instant or sorcery card from your graveyard. Creatures you control get +X/+0 until end of turn, where X is that card's mana value. Whenever a creature you control deals combat damage to a player this turn, copy the exiled card. You may cast the copy without paying its mana cost.

Copying the card doesn't cause magecraft abilities to trigger, although casting the copies does.
You cast the copies while the delayed triggered ability of Surge to Victory is resolving. Ignore any timing restrictions based on the copies' card types.
If you cast a spell "without paying its mana cost," you can't pay any alternative costs. You can, however, pay additional costs, such as kicker costs. If the card has any mandatory additional costs, you must pay those.
If the spell you cast has {X} in its mana cost, you must choose 0 as the value of X.

Tempting Contract
{4}
Artifact
At the beginning of your upkeep, each opponent may create a Treasure token. For each opponent who does, you create a Treasure token.

Each opponent in turn order decides whether or not to create a Treasure token. They will each know the decisions of players before them. Those Treasure tokens are all created at the same time. Then you create your Treasure tokens all at the same time.

Tivash, Gloom Summoner
{4}{B}
Legendary Creature — Human Warlock
4/4
Lifelink
At the beginning of your end step, if you gained life this turn, you may pay X life, where X is the amount of life you gained this turn. If you do, create an X/X black Demon creature token with flying.

Tivash's ability counts the total amount of life gained without considering any life you lost during that turn. For example, if you lost 3 life and gained 4 life earlier in the turn, you may pay 4 life to create a 4/4 Demon.
You can't pay less life than the amount of life you gained to create a smaller but less harmful Demon.
You need to gain life before the end step begins for the last ability to trigger.

Trudge Garden
{2}{G}
Enchantment
Whenever you gain life, you may pay {2}. If you do, create a 4/4 green Fungus Beast creature token with trample.

An ability that triggers "whenever you gain life" triggers just once for each life-gaining event, no matter how much life you gain.
You may only pay {2} once for each life gain event.
Each creature with lifelink dealing combat damage causes a separate life-gaining event. For example, if two creatures you control with lifelink deal combat damage at the same time, a "whenever you gain life" ability will trigger twice. However, if a single creature you control with lifelink deals combat damage to multiple creatures, players, and/or planeswalkers at the same time (perhaps because it has trample or was blocked by more than one creature), the ability will trigger only once.
If you gain an amount of life "for each" of something, that life is gained as one event and the ability will trigger only once.

Veinwitch Coven
{2}{B}
Creature — Vampire Warlock
3/3
Menace
Whenever you gain life, you may pay {B}. If you do, return target creature card from your graveyard to your hand.

An ability that triggers "whenever you gain life" triggers just once for each life-gaining event, no matter how much life you gain.
You may only pay {B} once for each life gain event.
Each creature with lifelink dealing combat damage causes a separate life-gaining event. For example, if two creatures you control with lifelink deal combat damage at the same time, a "whenever you gain life" ability will trigger twice. However, if a single creature you control with lifelink deals combat damage to multiple creatures, players, and/or planeswalkers at the same time (perhaps because it has trample or was blocked by more than one creature), the ability will trigger only once.
If you gain an amount of life "for each" of something, that life is gained as one event and the ability will trigger only once.

Veyran, Voice of Duality
{1}{U}{R}
Legendary Creature — Efreet Wizard
2/2
Magecraft — Whenever you cast or copy an instant or sorcery spell, Veyran, Voice of Duality gets +1/+1 until end of turn.
If you casting or copying an instant or sorcery spell causes a triggered ability of a permanent you control to trigger, that ability triggers an additional time.

Veyran, Voice of Duality's last ability causes each of your magecraft abilities, including Veyran's own, to trigger an additional time.
Veyran's effect doesn't copy the triggered ability; it just causes the ability to trigger again. Any choices you make as you put the ability on the stack, such as modes and targets, are made separately for each instance of the ability. Any choices made on resolution are also made individually.
If you somehow control two Veyrans (which would be poetic), you casting an instant or sorcery spell causes abilities to trigger three times. A third Veyran (less poetic) causes abilities to trigger four times, and so on.

Yedora, Grave Gardener
{4}{G}
Legendary Creature — Treefolk Druid
5/5
Whenever another nontoken creature you control dies, you may return it to the battlefield face down under its owner's control. It's a Forest land. (It has no other types or abilities.)

The face-down card has no name or colors. Its only type is land, its only subtype is Forest, and its only ability is "{T}: Add {G}."
If the face-down card has morph, you can pay its morph cost to turn it face up.
If one of these Forests is turned face up, the effect making it a Forest land will expire. The face-up permanent will again have its printed name, type line, mana cost, abilities, and so on.

Zaffai, Thunder Conductor
{2}{U}{R}
Legendary Creature — Human Shaman
1/4
Magecraft — Whenever you cast or copy an instant or sorcery spell, scry 1. If that spell's mana value is 5 or greater, create a 4/4 blue and red Elemental creature token. If that spell's mana value is 10 or greater, Zaffai, Thunder Conductor deals 10 damage to an opponent chosen at random.

"That spell's mana value" refers to the spell that caused the ability to trigger, not the card you look at when you scry.
If the instant or sorcery spell has {X} in its mana cost, X is the value chosen for X as the spell was cast.
The wrong card name was inadvertently included in Zaffai's printed rules text. The text above is correct and the full name of the card is Zaffai, Thunder Conductor.

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